Lies
by Neurotica
Summary: Complete and Revised. AU. Sequel to Truths. Sirius, Remus, and Harry lived in peace for nearly seven years. All that's about to end as the past comes back to haunt them. Starts at end of Harry's third year at Hogwarts. Pre-Deathly Hallows.
1. One

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything you recognize from the Harry Potter universe. That privilege belongs solely to JK Rowling.

* * *

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_One_

Professor R.J. Lupin—better known to his friends and small family as Remus or Moony—leaned against the desk in his classroom gazing out at his last class of the day (Gryffindor and Ravenclaw third years) as they quietly read from their books about dementors. Most of the quills belonging to the students barely touched the surface of the parchment, though they were supposed to be taking notes on the subject. Hermione Granger, a rather bright Gryffindor Professor Lupin had come to know through his surrogate godson, however, was threatening to burn a hole through the table if she didn't slow down the speed of her quill.

Professor Lupin glanced at his watch and looked back up at his students. "Okay, quills down, books closed, the bell is about to ring. Yes, you too, Hermione," he added with a smile at Hermione's look. "Now, before you all go enjoy this _wonderful_ Friday afternoon—" The class looked gloomily out the windows; it had been raining for days. "—I would like to remind you all that exams are only two weeks away. You are all exceptionally bright and I have full confidence that none of you will fail. Nevertheless, I want to see you all studying hard in the coming weeks, not only for this class, but for all of your classes." He looked pointedly to the back of the classroom where Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were bent over a piece of parchment whispering conspiringly together.

At the silence of their professor, the two boys looked up. Harry quickly hid the parchment in his robes. "Sorry, Professor," they muttered with sheepish smiles.

Once Professor Lupin was confident they were now paying attention, he continued, "As I was saying—" Just at that moment the bell rang throughout the castle signaling the end of the school day. "Have a wonderful weekend!" he called over the noise of students gathering their belongings. "Harry, can you stay back a moment, please?"

Harry was nearly out the door when the professor called his name, and though Professor Lupin couldn't see his face, he knew the boy had winced. Harry said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and turned back to walk to his professor. He was walking slowly, biting his lip. Remus was sure his surrogate godson was thinking up a story before he even knew what he was in trouble for.

"Up to my office, please," Remus said, picking up essays from his desk and leading the way up the stairs in the classroom. "Sit," he said, pointing to a chair in front of the desk. Harry gulped and did as he was told. Remus closed the door and crossed the room. He leaned on his desk before Harry, his legs and arms crossed, with a stern expression. Remus inwardly amused himself by watching Harry squirm under his stare—it was sort of a cruel, but effective technique he had adopted from Minerva McGonagall.

To Harry's visible relief, Remus spoke, "I had a nice little conversation with Professor Snape this morning, Harry. Care to tell me your side of the story?"

To Remus' bewilderment, Harry seemed further relieved at the topic. He began to talk rather quickly. "It wasn't my fault, Remus. Honestly! He wouldn't shut up about my dad and Sirius. It's not like I _planned_ to make him fly into the desk!"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Fair enough. But did you really have to call him '_Professor Potato Head_' in front of the entire class?"

"Well, no, it just sort of... came out," Harry insisted, trying to hold back his grin.

Remus frowned deeply. "Listen, I know you don't like Professor Snape, Harry, and to tell you the truth, I'm none too fond of him myself. But unfortunately for you, he is your teacher. And as such, you must treat him with respect."

"But Sirius—"

"Is a grown wizard," Remus said firmly. "Sirius and I went to school with Professor Snape. Sirius can say whatever he wishes. And in the summer, so can you. But while we are in school, and while he is your teacher, you will treat Professor Snape with respect. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered, looking down at his shoes.

"Good. You have a detention with him tomorrow night. And no, I cannot and will not get you out of it, end of discussion," Remus said.

Harry sighed, but nodded.

"Okay, then. I am not even going to bother asking what you and Ron are up to. I don't really think I want to know, to tell you the truth," Remus said warily. Harry grinned. "How're your other classes going?"

"Fine. Hagrid's got us studying Flobberworms. He has to keep Buckbeak tied up since the attack on Malfoy. Too bad Buckbeak didn't tear the git apart," Harry muttered.

"Yes, I heard about that. Professor Dumbledore asked me to go to Hagrid's hut last night to convince him he'd done nothing wrong," Remus said, looking at his watch. "Well, you better be going. Don't you have Quidditch today?"

Harry looked down at his own watch and jumped. "Bloody hell! Sorry," he added at Remus' raised eyebrow. "Are you coming down to watch?"

"Later. I've got a few papers to grade first."

Harry nodded and picked up his school bag. He said goodbye to Remus and headed out the door. Remus looked around for a moment and remembered something. "Harry! Wait a second!" he called. Harry stopped on the stairs and turned around. "Sirius owled this morning. He's managed to get us tickets to the World Cup this summer, top box."

"You're kidding!" Harry exclaimed, letting his bag drop to the floor.

"Nope." Remus grinned. "But if you don't pass all your exams with exceptional marks, you get to stay home and clean."

"Yeah, right," Harry said with a smirk. He knew full well that even if he failed half of his exams—which he would not—he would still be allowed to go to the Quidditch World Cup.

"I'm serious," Remus said, trying to hide his smile.

"No, you're not," Harry said, "Sirius is at home!"

Remus rolled his eyes and groaned loudly at the overused pun. "Get out of here! I'll see you later."

"Bye!" Harry called, running out of the classroom and slamming the door behind him.

Remus shook his head at the door and headed back to his office and reading through the seventh years' papers on the Unforgivable Curses. Just as he was about to grade the third to last paper, a muffled voice inside of his desk called out to him.

"Moony! Come on, I know you're there! I can hear you breathing! Pick up!" the voice said.

Remus smiled and shook his head again. He opened the drawer and shifted some parchment. Finally he found the old mirror with Sirius' face in the middle of it.

"Yes, Padfoot?" Remus said in a mock-irritated voice.

Sirius grinned. "Did you tell him?" he asked excitedly.

Remus could almost see him jumping up and down. "Yes, I just told him. But he seems to think he can still go if he fails his exams."

Sirius' expression changed from excitement to horror in a millisecond. "Of course he can still go! Are you mad? This is the Quidditch World Cup!"

"As you've said many times since you heard they were hosting it here," Remus said dully.

"So was he excited?"

"Highly. Now, I hate to cut you off, but I have some papers to grade, and I want to go check out Harry's practice before dinner."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, okay. Let Harry know I'll be there for the House Cup match, will you? I cleared the day for it."

"Will do, see you, Sirius."

"Bye, Professor Moony!" Sirius said before disappearing from the mirror.

Remus chuckled, placed the mirror on his desk, and continued with his papers.

* * *

As he said his goodbye to Remus, Sirius' smile began to fade. He placed the two-way mirror on the mantle above the fireplace, and looked at one of the many wizard photos surrounding it. This particular photo was Sirius' all-time favorite. It was of him and Remus with Harry in between them, and unlike many of the other photos they had taken together, the figures in this one only smiled softly. Sirius and Remus both had their arms around the twelve-year-old, and Harry seemed quite content to just stand with his guardians.

Sirius sighed and went to sit in his favorite armchair. He missed his housemates; it was way too quiet with them both away at Hogwarts for the year. Remus and Harry seemed to be having the time of their lives, and Sirius couldn't think of any two people who deserved this happiness more.

But he was bored.

Work on the Malfoy case mostly kept the Head Auror occupied; in the past six years, there hadn't been a single solid sign of the runaway Death Eater. There had been a few leads a year back, but the moment Sirius and Kingsley checked them out, they were right back at square one.

Last year had been a most interesting year in Sirius' godson's life. Sirius couldn't help but worry about the safety of him and Remus while those things were going on. It was nearly as bad as Voldemort coming back. And according to Remus, the events of Harry's second year nearly did bring the foul excuse for... well, anything back to the world.

No one ever found out how Tom Riddle's diary had gotten into the hands of first year Ginny Weasley, but it did.

And, well, you know that story...

The night Ginny had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets, happened to be a full moon. Meaning that there was one less person on staff to try and find the girl. The staff had no idea where to even begin, but somehow Harry and Ron had. The two took it upon themselves to save Ginny. There was some sort of cave once they had entered the chamber. The rest, as I said, you already know.

Harry saved Ginny, killed the Basilisk, got rid of the memory-Riddle, and was able to get his friends out safely.

Dumbledore had called Sirius and Remus into his office a few days after the events to discuss the diary and try to figure out how it came to Ginny's possession. Sirius had his suspicions, but unfortunately he needed Lucius Malfoy to confirm it. Just one more thing to ask the git after Sirius beat the hell out of him...

Sirius was about to get up and make some dinner when the fireplace called his name. The Auror turned around and grinned. Hestia Jones' head was in the middle of the dancing flames. The two had remained in contact after their meeting with the Order of the Phoenix six years back. They spent most of their free time together, but while most would call this dating, Sirius and Hestia called it "keeping busy." Remus had once questioned Sirius what this meant exactly, and whether or not it happened with Harry in the house, but Sirius evaded his friend's questioning.

"Hey," Sirius said, kneeling before Hestia.

"Hey, yourself." The black-haired witch smiled. "Wanted to see if you want to go to the Leaky Cauldron with me for a bite to eat."

"Yeah, sure, you read my mind actually. I'll meet you there."

Hestia smiled and disappeared from the fire. Slightly cheered, Sirius ran a hand through his long hair, winked at a picture of Remus and Harry, and Disapparated with a _pop_.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione said good night to Remus after dinner and headed back to Gryffindor tower. Harry was quite exhausted after his training session earlier in the afternoon. Oliver had forced the team to train for two hours in the cold rain before he was satisfied that they had done well enough before allowing them to go back into the warm confines of the locker room.

Harry and Ron were discussing the Quidditch World Cup and the chances of the Weasleys meeting Harry, Sirius, and Remus there—apparently Arthur was trying to get tickets as well. Hermione remained silent, glancing at them out of the corner of her eye, scowling. She spoke the password to the Fat Lady when they arrived, and the three of them crawled through the portrait hole.

Harry sat in his usual armchair in front of the fire and sighed with Ron next to him on the sofa. Hermione, however, stood in front of them with her hands on her hips, her expression stern.

"You know, Hermione, you look just like McGonagall when you do that." Harry yawned.

"Good," Hermione snapped. "You two should be studying, not talking about Quidditch."

"Aw, come on, Hermione! Exams are like three weeks away! What do we need to start studying now for?" Ron asked, stretching out on the sofa.

"You two never listen, do you? Didn't you hear Professor Lupin in class today? Exams are only _two_ weeks away."

"See, we still have time," Ron said lazily, scratching Crookshanks behind the ears as he passed.

Hermione clicked her tongue, rolled her eyes, and stomped up to the girls' dorm.

"What's up with her?" Harry asked, staring perplexedly up the spiral staircase. "We never study until last minute. She acts like this is something new."

"I don't know. Want to play chess?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, sure, just don't cheat this time," Harry warned.

"I do not cheat!" Ron said.

"Yeah, you do. Setup the board."


	2. Two

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Two_

Sirius sat in his office, his legs on the desk and his chair leaned on its back legs, going over the list of new Auror candidates that were about to become qualified and finally join the Ministry. They had spent the better part of three years attempting to prove themselves worthy, and Sirius thought, for the most part, they looked to be quite a promising addition to his ranks. He reached the bottom of the list and nearly fell to the floor along with the chair he'd been sitting in.

"How could I have missed that?" he muttered to himself, staring at the name.

_Nymphadora Tonks_.

Sirius had only sat in on a few of the Auror training classes in the last two years; he had been too busy organizing security for the coming Quidditch World Cup. Not to mention the Malfoy case, and a top secret event only those privileged few in the Ministry knew about. But even still, he should have been able to pick out his second-cousin amongst the candidates. Sirius snorted aloud. It had taken him a few moments to remember that little Nymphy (a name she despised more than anything—which was why Sirius used it) just happened to be a metamorphmagus.

"That's why I didn't recognize her..."

"You know, Black, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." Kingsley Shacklebolt smirked, leaning on the door frame of Sirius' office.

Sirius grinned, still looking at the parchment in his hands. "You've known me for years, Kingsley; was that really the first sign of my insanity you've been able to spot?"

"No," Kingsley said lightly, stepping into the office. "Just thought I'd mention it." He crossed the room and sat in a chair across from Sirius, putting his own feet up on the desk.

"Looking good so far," Sirius said, referring to the candidates. "Nymphadora Tonks—"

"Er, she prefers to go by Tonks," Kingsley said with a wince. "I, er, forgot once, and she _accidentally_ kicked me in my shin, left a nice bruise and everything."

Sirius laughed loudly. "Yeah, that's her all right. She's my second-cousin."

"That explains a lot," Kingsley said thoughtfully. "She's stubborn as all hell."

"Yeah, that's definitely a family trait," Sirius said. "So do we have everything ready for the staff meeting this afternoon?"

"Sure do, boss. I've already gone around, asking who's going to the cup and who's not. I think a few of them were trying to get out of duty, but I got them in the end."

Sirius smirked, looking back down at the parchment in his hands. "Don't hurt my Aurors, Shacklebolt," he muttered.

"Never," Kingsley said.

"Do we have enough, then?" Sirius asked.

"We still might need a few people. Ten more should cover it."

Sirius nodded. "Well, we can get a few of the candidates to help out."

Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

"Why not? It's not like this is going to be a tough job. They just have to stand at the gates, rechecking identification."

"Whatever you say," Kingsley said, looking skeptical. "Speaking of the Cup, you going?"

"Are you kidding?" Sirius said, his eyes shining excitedly. "Of course! Got the tickets months ago! 'Course, I only just told Remus and Harry. Wanted to make them think I couldn't get them and surprise them last minute."

"Did it work?"

"I guess. When I talked to Remus, Harry had just left his office, so I didn't get a chance to talk to him. But I'm sure he's excited," Sirius said. "How about you? You going?"

"Nah, couldn't get tickets. They sold out pretty fast," Kingsley said sadly. "But I get to play big bad Auror man, so it won't be all a waste."

Sirius laughed. "Maybe you could talk to Bagman. Arthur Weasley said he got top box from him."

"Eh," Kingsley said, waving him off. "England didn't make it in, so I'm not all that fussed about it. Maybe next time."

"Black, the Minister wants to make sure you've got enough Aurors for the cup. She says if you need more she can get DMLE," said a young blond-headed Auror named Bill Maxell.

"Er, tell her I'll let her know tomorrow, after we've had the meeting. I think we're pretty much covered though," Sirius said.

"Okay," Maxell replied, leaving the office.

"Hey, did Bagman tell you the details about the thing at Hogwarts, yet?" Kingsley asked.

Sirius grinned. "Yeah, the other day. Should be a great one. James and I had a petition going in third year to get the Tournament reinstated. We never did hear from them..." he said, looking dispirited.

Kingsley laughed. "Too late now, eh?" Sirius chuckled and nodded. "Well, I best be off. Leave those candidates alone too long and things start to break."

"It's Tonks, I assure you. Girl couldn't take two bloody steps without tripping over her feet when she was a kid," Sirius said, grinning.

"Even though it's still true, I am telling her you said that," Kingsley said, pointing at Sirius threateningly.

"Do what you will. I'll come by later and check things out. I've got a report on Malfoy I want to read over first."

"Alright, see you later," Kingsley said, leaving Sirius alone.

Sirius sighed and opened his desk drawer. He pulled out a large file with _Lucius Malfoy_ written in large letters on the tab. Sirius flipped through to the very back of the file where a black and white picture of Malfoy was glaring at him.

"Where are you, you son of a bitch?" Sirius muttered to the picture. Malfoy made a very rude gesture with his middle finger causing Sirius to thump the photo. Malfoy rubbed the spot on his forehead Sirius had hit and glared harder at the Head Auror. "I will find you. That's something you can count on," Sirius said casually, flipping back to the latest report.

* * *

Remus strolled through the castle, saying hello to his students as he passed, making his way to the Great Hall for a much needed lunch. The morning had been rough; he was forced to place two Slytherins and a Hufflepuff in detention for fighting, not to mention the two third year Gryffindor boys (who shall remain nameless) he caught sneaking into the kitchens for a snack at three in the morning—Remus had had a craving for double chocolate cake and a cold glass of milk, and caught the boys sitting in front of a whole apple pie.

He turned a corner and nearly ran right into Sibyll Trelawney. Slightly surprised that the Divination teacher had left the sanctuary of her attic, Remus hid his surprise when he recognized her. "Oh, hello, Sibyll. How are you this afternoon?" he said kindly, helping his colleague get her bearings so she wouldn't fall.

Trelawney looked up at him with wide eyes—not that Remus could really tell with those glasses she wore — and pointed a shaky finger at him. "You are on the verge of terrible things, my child." Remus barely held back a snigger. "Are you certain you would not like me to read the lines of your palm? Perhaps I could help you avoid great tragedy," she said in her odd misty voice, reaching for Remus' hand.

"Er, no, Sibyll, it's quite all right," Remus said, linking his hands behind his back. "I like surprises. Now, if you would kindly excuse me, lunch is calling my name."

Looking slightly disappointed, Trelawney reclaimed her normal voice. "Very well. Good day, Professor."

Remus watched her continue in the direction of her classroom and shook his head. This had been the second time in six months she had offered her "services" of her "Inner Eye." Laughing to himself, Remus continued to the Great Hall.

He entered through the large doors behind a straggling group of Ravenclaws and made his way to the Gryffindor table. Hermione, it seemed, had taken a break from the never-ending studying she had been doing and was enjoying a salad. Harry and Ron, however, had their noses stuck in books, taking messy notes as they read. Remus walked behind Harry, and ruffled his hair.

Harry groaned in frustration, but did not turn. "Could you _please_ stop doing that, Remus? I've almost got it lying flat!"

Remus laughed. "Harry, you are never going to get your hair flat. The strongest hair potions and charms couldn't get that hair flat." Harry turned and glared at Remus. Remus smirked. "Going to try and contradict me, are you?'

Harry shook his head, and turned back to his book.

"What are you studying?" Remus asked, looking over Harry's shoulder.

"Divination," Harry and Ron mumbled.

Remus laughed again. "Ah yes, I almost forgot: Professor Trelawney tried to read my palm again just now."

Hermione snorted rather uncharacteristically. "The only way she could read your palm is if you wrote something on it with your quill."

Remus grinned. "Now, now, Hermione."

"She told me the grim was in my crystal ball again today. Is Sirius coming for a visit anytime soon?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Actually, he is. He says he will be here for your Quidditch match on Saturday. But she's still on about the grim, is she?" Remus said.

"Yep," Harry said, still reading his book.

Remus rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't be too fussed about it if I were you. She's been doing that since before I started teaching here from what Professor McGonagall was saying. But I will see you three later, lunch is waiting."

"Bye," the three chorused.

Remus walked to the staff table and sat between Flitwick and Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon, Remus," Dumbledore said.

"Hello, Albus. You haven't by chance seen Severus this afternoon have you? I need to have a chat with him," Remus said, loading his plate with food.

"I have not. I believe he is preparing his exams. Is it about your potion?" the Headmaster inquired. Snape had been, er, _kind_ enough to start making Remus' Wolfsbane Potion when he started at Hogwarts three years previously. Remus had a strong feeling it was only because of Dumbledore's insistences that he even did it.

Remus swallowed a bite of bread and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Actually, I wanted to speak with him about his treatment of Harry in classes. I'm sure you have heard of the incident that occurred last week?"

"I did. I was surprised at the behavior on both parties." Dumbledore nodded.

"As was I. I've already spoken with Harry about it, and I thought I would have a chat with Severus as well."

"I am certain you will see him before long," Dumbledore said, taking a bite of his chicken casserole.

Remus nodded. _Not long enough, though,_ he thought, going back to his meal.

* * *

Sirius held back a grin as he listened to the grumbling Aurors. "C'mon, people! Where's your sense of Ministry togetherness?" Sirius laughed at the raised eyebrows. "Look, if you lot don't help me out, I have to go to DMLE." There were many sympathetic groans. "So any volunteers or do I need to start picking at random?" Hesitantly, hands went into the air. Sirius beamed at them all. "Smashing! So between us and the few select candidates, we should be covered for the Cup. Now onto other business: Taylor, how are you coming along on the Baldham case?" Sirius said to the long brown-haired wizard.

"Not bad, boss. I'm almost positive he's still running around Surrey. Should have his location pinpointed in a day or two," Taylor replied.

Sirius nodded in approval. "Good. Sooner we get him in the better. Lawrence, any lead on the werewolf case?"

Lawrence, a tall redheaded witch, sighed. "No. After the full moon last month, he's just disappeared."

Sirius frowned. The case was one of a young wizard, only twenty-two years old, who had been bitten by a werewolf a few months ago. As revenge for his newly cursed life, the wizard had been attacking innocent people, Muggles included, on the full moon. The death toll was now up to ten, and there was a life long Azkaban sentence awaiting him. Sirius had to remind himself that they weren't all like Remus...

Running a hand through his hair, Sirius sighed. "Okay. Get with Magical Creatures, Beings unit, and see if they have anything. Full moon is in two weeks."

Lawrence nodded.

"All right, I think that covers everything for today. Those who have volunteered for the Cup—I know who you are—hang back; I want to go over a few things with you real quick. The rest of you can go home. See you tomorrow," Sirius said to the Aurors.

The large group stood or pushed themselves from against the wall where they were leaning and made their way out of the briefing room. Once all but twenty-five of them were left, Sirius briefed them on what would be expected at the Cup. It only lasted fifteen minutes—there would be a more detailed meeting in July for all working Ministry members. As they were headed out the door, Sirius called, "Oh, and proper Muggle attire is required. So I suggest you get working on that soon." There were a few more groans for the pureblooded among the group.

Sirius sat next to Kingsley. "How much you want to bet half of them show up looking like our worst idea of a Muggle?"

"No way in hell I'm betting on that; you'd win." Kingsley laughed. "Any idea which candidates you want?"

"You know them better than I do, but from what I was seeing today, Tonks is a good bet. Never knew she had it in her to be an Auror. Er, that kid with spiky hair..." Sirius trailed off.

"Davies?"

"Yeah, him. So, Tonks, Davies." Sirius looked back at the candidates list "Smith, Larson, and the Evans kid."

"Evans? You sure about that? He seemed a bit hesitant today."

"Nah, he'll be okay. He just didn't like a big black bloke standing over him with his wand pointing at his face shouting threats and curses. When I did it, he seemed fine." Sirius smirked at Kingsley. "I think he's a bit intimidated by you, Kingsley. But I know better; deep down you're just a big lovable teddy bear, aren't you?" Sirius pinched both of Kingsley's cheeks.

"Never. do. that. again," Kingsley said through clenched teeth, trying not to laugh at Sirius.

Sirius grinned. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here."

The two Aurors stood and made their way out of the room, checking Headquarters for any stray Aurors working late before they locked the doors behind them. They walked silently to the lifts that would take them to the Atrium, then walked past the Fountain of Magical Brethren, and got in line for the fireplaces.

"So, you seeing Hestia tonight?" Kingsley asked slyly.

"Why would I be seeing Hestia?" Sirius replied, not looking at Kingsley.

"Rumor has it you've been seeing a lot of her."

"Rumors are wrong."

"Are they?"

"Yes."

"Hmm," Kingsley said, not convinced one bit.

"We're friends, that's it," Sirius said quietly.

"Right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Sirius. Don't stay out too late." Kingsley winked and stepped into the fireplace, saying his address, and disappeared.

Sirius rolled his eyes before stepping into the same fireplace and saying the address of the cottage. He disappeared in the flames, spinning, and finally coming out of his own fireplace. He stepped out, dusted the soot off his robes, and looked around the dark, quiet cottage. He sighed.

_After three years of this, I should be used to it,_ he mused.

He crossed through the living room into the kitchen and looked through the day's post that was sitting on the kitchen counter. Most of it was junk mail and he threw it into the rubbish bin. He received a letter each from Remus and Harry, making him smile. But before he could open either of them, another letter caught his eye. Sirius' name was written in elegant, unfamiliar handwriting, and there was no return address.

Auror instincts kicking in, Sirius waved his wand over the aged looking parchment and muttered a tracking spell. The parchment glowed red for a moment before fading to black; the origin of the letter was undetectable. Raising an eyebrow, Sirius performed a number of other spells on the letter (portkey detection, identity spells—though he didn't think these would work—and a spell to tell him how long ago the letter had been written).

Sirius bit his top lip in thought. "You're not a portkey, and I don't know who wrote you or when..." he said to the letter. After five minutes of glaring at the letter, Sirius decided to be courageously stupid. He slit the letter open with his wand and sighed in relief when nothing exploded—Remus wouldn't have been too happy with that. He opened the letter and began to read. The longer he read the writing on the parchment, the more anger, shock, and a little fear filled his insides.

"This isn't happening... No bloody way..." he muttered, staring at the cupboard before him. Looking back at the letter, Sirius had to steady himself against the counter. He did not know whether to jump for joy or go on a killing spree... He decided a second brain would be needed.

Clutching the parchment in his hand, Sirius went back to the fireplace, threw in a pinch of Floo powder, and said Kingsley's address. After a few long minutes, Sirius' partner's head was looking at him through the flames.

Without so much as a greeting, Sirius said, "You need to get over here. I just got a letter from Lucius Malfoy."

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione crept through the darkened Hogwarts halls under Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

"Ron! You're stepping on my heels!" Hermione hissed.

"Well, if you'd walk faster..." Ron retorted.

"Will you two shut up? We're almost outside," Harry said over his shoulder.

Hermione, who was about to snap back at Ron, closed her mouth and continued to follow Harry. They reached the castle's front doors moments later and Harry pushed them open easily.

Once on the grounds, Harry looked up to the sky automatically. _At least it's not a full moon_, he thought, remembering clearly the last time he had risked an outing at Hogwarts on the full moon.

The three friends crossed the grounds quickly and quietly until they reached Hagrid's hut. As Harry raised his fist to knock on the door, however, he heard another voice inside. Harry groaned audibly. Why did Remus have to come tonight?

"Well, are you going to knock?" Ron asked.

"Remus is in there..." Harry replied as Hagrid's door was wrenched open. The boy's fist was the only thing visible.

Remus only shook his head. "Well, get in here, no use staying outside in the cold."

Harry took off the cloak revealing Hermione and Ron behind him. All three smiled guiltily at their professors.

"Hey, Remus, Hagrid," Harry said.

"I didn' know you three was comin' tonight," Hagrid said from his table, smiling at the three students.

"Nor did I," Remus said, shutting the door. If Harry hadn't been so worried about what detention he would have now, he would have noticed the humor in his guardian's voice. "And I have a feeling you didn't consult the map before you got here, either."

Harry shook his head. "Forgot," he mumbled.

"Are we in trouble?" Ron blurted out.

Remus looked at the three of them in turn, and then to Hagrid. "What do you think, Professor Hagrid?"

"Oh, I dunno, Professor Lupin. Maybe a week's cleanin' frog guts off Snape's dungeon ceilings'd teach 'em," Hagrid replied.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked horrified from Hagrid to Remus. "You wouldn't..." Harry said to Remus.

"I don't know, Harry. I did tell you the other night not to be sneaking out. Not to mention the fact that Sirius and I raised you better; you should always check the map..."

"B-but you and Sirius and my dad used to sneak out all the time," Harry stammered.

"We did, but we were smart enough not to go where two of our teachers happened to be meeting," Remus said, trying hard not to laugh at the horrified looks on his students faces.

"Remus... please..." Harry said with the same puppy dog eyes Sirius used when he wanted something, usually Remus' last chocolate bar.

Remus couldn't hold in his laughter any longer. Once he calmed a bit, he looked at the three of them. "I'm not going to punish you for visiting Hagrid. _This time_," he added at the relieved looks on the three of them. "Next time, remember the map..."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said with a relieved smile.

Remus nodded, still smiling. "Well, sit down, have some tea. How is studying going?"

Harry shivered. "Bad. Potions is impossible...."

Ron nodded fervently in agreement.

"I can't say I'm any better in Potions than you two are, but if you follow the directions you should be okay," Remus said.

"Not with Snape breathing down your neck," Ron muttered.

"Can we _not_ discuss studying? Please?" Harry said pleadingly.

Remus and Hagrid laughed.

They began talking about the upcoming Quidditch Cups (both school and world). Sensing Hermione's boredom, Remus changed the subject to Buckbeak the Hippogriff.

"I think Sirius is interested in meeting him," Remus said to Hagrid. "After I mentioned the attack on Draco Malfoy, he was quite eager. Said Buckbeak was his new hero..."

Hagrid chuckled. "Yeah, he would say that." Hagrid's smile faded. "Horrifyin', that was. Thought I was gonna loose me job!"

Remus smiled. "Absolutely not. From what I heard, Malfoy wasn't paying attention in class. It was his fault. And besides, he's fine now."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded.

"He deserved it," Ron said. "After everything he's said to Harry, he should have gotten more than that." Harry stamped on Ron's foot. "Ow! What was that for?"

"What's he been saying?" Remus asked, turning to Harry.

"Nothing," Harry said a bit too quickly. "Honestly, I can handle it."

"If he says anything about his father..."

"I know, tell you or Dumbledore," Harry finished Remus' warning; he had been getting it since the first day of school.

Remus nodded. "Well, I better get these three back to the Tower. We all have classes tomorrow. There' no point in putting the cloak back on, you're with me," he said to Harry, Ron, and Hermione as he stood.

"I'll see yeh all tomorrow," Hagrid said, holding Fang back.

"Night!" Harry, Ron and Hermione said, following Remus out the door.

Remus led them through the castle and to Gryffindor tower. "No more late night outings; you've got exams," he said, looking at Harry sternly.

"Okay. Night, Remus," Harry said.

"Night, Professor," Ron and Hermione said.

"Fortuna major," Hermione said to the Fat Lady.

"Good night, kids," Remus said, watching them clamber through the portrait hole. He began walking back to his office, desperate for a few hours' sleep.


	3. Three

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Three_

_Sirius Black—_

_I would first like to congratulate you on your appointment as Head Auror at the Ministry. I am sure you have worked hard to achieve that status. I hear distant word that you have devoted your days to the search for me, and I must commend you on your efforts and determination. However, I think you will find in the coming months that your goal will not be achieved. You will not find me, Black, but I will find you._

_On another note, I also hear that my son is attending school with your godson, and I do hope, for my son's sake, that they have not met common ground; I cannot have my son running around with half-breeds and Mudbloods like you yourself have done in the past. _

_Speaking of young Harry Potter, Black, regardless of the "protections" you, your werewolf, and the Muggle-loving fool Dumbledore have placed upon him, I will find him again. I am certain you have realized how very easy it was for an insolent like Pettigrew to take him from Hogwarts—under your very nose, I might add—and I hope you can imagine how much worse it will be for someone with a higher intelligence. _

_The Dark Lord remains determined to seek revenge, Black, and Potter is at the top of his list, followed closely by you. My master is growing stronger as I write, and it is only a matter of time before you and your miserable excuse of a family pays the ultimate price. _

_Consider this a warning, Black. Perhaps we will see one another before your end comes; we are family, after all._

—_Lucius Malfoy _

* * *

Minister Amelia Bones placed the parchment back on her desk and looked at Sirius and Kingsley who were sitting across from her. She rubbed her eyes under her glasses and sighed. "And Magical Forensics has found nothing?"

Sirius sat up further in his chair. "No, ma'am. No fingerprints, no ink residue. They're not even sure how this letter was written; there aren't even any quill indents on the parchment. They've got nothing."

"I see," Bones read the letter again with a frown. "Have you spoken with Dumbledore yet?"

"Not yet. I'm going to Hogwarts on Saturday for Harry's match, so I'll speak with him then," Sirius replied.

Bones nodded and handed him the letter. "Very well. I will initiate a deeper investigation into this letter, and get back with you soon." Sirius and Kingsley made to stand. "Before you two leave, I have a favor to ask of you." The Aurors nodded for her to continue. "I have to conduct an inspection of Azkaban tomorrow afternoon, and I know it's Friday, but I would like the two of you—being high-ranking Aurors—to accompany me."

Sirius exchanged a glance with Kingsley, but Bones didn't normally request things—this was an order posed in the most non-threatening way possible; they had no choice but to accept.

"What did we just agree to?" Sirius asked Kingsley as they walked back to Auror Headquarters.

"You know exactly what we agreed to," Kingsley replied darkly.

Sirius sighed. A day in Azkaban was not how he wanted to spend a Friday—or any other day for that matter. "Right. Guess we'd better stock up on chocolate then, eh?"

* * *

Remus knocked on the Headmaster's door and was immediately granted entrance. He walked in quickly and found six of his colleagues, including Dumbledore, gathered around Dumbledore's desk.

"Sorry I'm late, Headmaster," Remus said, taking a seat between Flitwick and McGonagall. "I had to intervene between Filch and a couple of students before said students ended up hanging from their ankles in Filch's office."

"Would these students happen to have flaming red hair and no visible difference between the two of them?" McGonagall asked dully.

"They would actually," Remus answered, trying not to smile.

McGonagall sighed and rubbed her temples as though she was getting a rather horrible migraine.

"No worries, Remus," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now that we are all here, we can begin. Before the school term ends this year, I would like you all to, er, check up on the protections you have placed around the object we have been guarding. If need be, I would like everything strengthened, or fed," Dumbledore smiled at a beaming Hagrid, "and be sure that there is no way around them. You have all done a miraculous job, but I just want to make completely certain it is safe." The five professors nodded in understanding. "We will, of course, need to wait until night whilst the students are in bed; it would not do to have them discovering us. Therefore, I think it best to do it this Wednesday night at midnight. Are there any objections to this? No? Wonderful. Now, I am sure you are all quite anxious to finish preparing your exams. Remus, how are yours coming along this year? I found the idea quite intriguing."

"It's coming along very well, sir. I have yet to find another Boggart, though. If you have any suggestions, that would be wonderful," Remus replied, missing Snape's glare.

"I will speak with Mr. Filch about it in the morning." Dumbledore smiled. "I shall let you all go, then, and I will see you at breakfast tomorrow."

Remus stood and made to stop Snape, but the Potions Master had left the office before Remus could even call his name. Frowning, Remus followed McGonagall and Flitwick out the door; Hagrid had remained behind.

Bidding his fellow teachers a good night, Remus started towards the kitchens for a late dinner. He had been in the Forest during the regular dinnertime putting the finishing touches on the obstacle course exams he had prepared. He turned a corner and stopped at the sound of raised voices.

"Shut up, Malfoy," he heard Harry say.

"What are you going to do, Potter, run to Lupin? Go ahead, I don't think the moon's full just yet. You know, I really never understood why Dumbledore hired him; one good disarming spell would easily finish him off," Malfoy replied.

Remus crept slowly around the corner. He wanted to see how Harry would react. Not surprisingly, Harry drew his wand in an instant and pointed it sharply into Malfoy's chest. But before he could utter a spell, Remus made his presence known.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked evenly, looking at Malfoy. Had Remus not heard the previous conversation, the situation would have looked very bad indeed for Harry: his wand was still pointed at Malfoy and he was red with anger. Malfoy was unarmed.

"Potter cornered me, Professor!" Malfoy cried immediately, excitement shining in his eyes at the prospect of getting Harry into trouble.

"I see," Remus replied coolly, glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye. "Put your wand away, Harry. I think another night's detention is in order for you. And," he said louder as Harry began to protest, "and for you Draco, you are out of bounds and it is past curfew. Back to your dormitory—I will be having a chat with Professor Snape tomorrow. Harry, come with me."

Malfoy glared at the pair of them before stalking away to the Slytherin dungeons.

Harry stared at Remus, his mouth wide open until Malfoy turned a corner. "Didn't you hear what he was saying?" he practically yelled.

"Keep your voice down. Yes, I heard him, but you'll notice I didn't pull my wand on him."

"But—"

"But nothing, Harry," Remus said calmly. "I'll walk you back to the common room." Before Harry could utter one word, Remus turned and made his way to Gryffindor Tower.

Harry stared angrily at Remus' retreating back before finally following. The pair walked silently until they reached a deserted corridor. "Why do you let people talk about you like that?" Harry muttered, glancing at his guardian.

Without looking at Harry, Remus answered, "Because I'm used to it, Harry. I've been hearing comments like that since before I started Hogwarts. It hasn't bothered me since I was your age."

"But still..." Harry trailed off. He remained silent for a few moments before quietly stating, "I think Malfoy knows about—you know—_your issue_."

Remus chuckled at the choice of words. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did," he said casually. "His father somehow knows, and Sirius is sure he's been keeping in touch with his family..."

Before Harry could reply, they had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Fortuna Major," Harry muttered. "Well, see you in detention."

Remus watched Harry thoughtfully for a moment, then suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace. When they released each other, Remus smiled at Harry. "Thank you for sticking up for me."

Harry smiled back. "Anytime, Moony. Night."

"Good night."

* * *

Though it was a warm morning, Sirius sat next to Kingsley, behind Minister Bones, shivering.

"You all right?" Kingsley asked, staring straight ahead at the nearing fortress of Azkaban.

"Yeah," Sirius lied croakily. He could feel the Dementors as their wooden Muggle boat approached the shore.

After a few minutes, the boat gently hit rock. Kingsley stepped forward onto the shore and helped Bones out of the boat. He stretched out a hand to assist Sirius, but the Head Auror shook his head and climbed up on the rock.

This would be the first time Sirius had been to Azkaban since witnessing Wormtail receive the Dementor's Kiss. He shivered even harder at the memory, nearly losing his balance. The three of them walked slowly to the front doors of the prison and saw to Sirius' immense relief, that a wizard guard was meeting them instead of a dementor. After Bones' appointment to Minister, she began to send more wizards to guard the prison along with dementors. Her hope was to eventually replace the dark creatures. The problem was nobody wanted a job in such close proximity with dementors. There were now eight wizards employed at the prison, where as there were only three during Sirius' stay. And they generally stayed far from the dementors in offices.

This wizard, if Sirius remembered correctly, had been an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries before volunteering for the transfer. Why anyone would actually volunteer for this job was beyond Sirius—Unspeakables were very strange people…

"Good morning, Ledlam," Minister Bones greeted the guard.

"Morning, Minister," Ledlam responded, looking at the three of them in turn.

"These are Aurors Black and Shacklebolt; they will be accompanying me today."

Sirius believed it pointless to introduce him to anyone working at Azkaban. After all, he was the very first innocent prisoner with a life sentence to receive a full pardon in the history of the prison. Sirius remained silent, nodding his hello to the guard.

Ledlam led them inside the prison. "The dementors have been instructed to stay of the opposite side of wherever you go today."

"Very good, Ledlam," Bones said, trying to conceal her slightly shaking voice. "We'll let you know when we have finished."

Ledlam nodded and went to his office.

Bones led them through the prison just a little too slowly for Sirius' liking. Even though the dementors were on the other side of the prison, he could feel them, and they were hungry.

By mid-afternoon, the inspection brought them to the last location for the day: the maximum security ward. Sirius sucked in a sharp breath without realizing he was doing so—he had tried hard to remain professional throughout the day. He was failing.

Bones noticed Sirius change in mood; it had been happening all day. "You can stay out here if you like," she said quietly, almost maternally.

Sirius sighed and shook his head, entering the door Kingsley held open.

The ward was silent, something Sirius could not remember ever happening while he was there. Some of his former fellow inmates stared through their cell bars with dead eyes as the Ministry employees passed.

"The Dark Lord will return," whispered a hollow voice Sirius had no trouble recognizing. The other two didn't seem to notice Bellatrix Lestrange's comment, so Sirius turned away from his cousin. Instead, he found himself facing cell 382—his old cell. He stared at the empty cell for long minutes, long forgotten nightmares returning to him in full force.

A rough hand on his arm startled Sirius, and he turned to face Kingsley's concerned expression. Sirius tried to smile weakly at his friend, but his lips didn't want to seem to move. Kingsley began to lead him from the cell, towards the door, when something caught Sirius' eye.

Though the ward was practically dark, and the cells even darker, Sirius could make out the form of a short, bald man sitting at the head of his makeshift cot. The man's knees were pulled to his chest, his arms wrapped loosely around them, and he was rocking back and forth, staring at nothing.

"What's he doing in here? I thought they had a special ward for them..." Sirius said to Kingsley, without taking his eyes off of Wormtail.

"They do, but Moody wanted him here for some reason; you know how he is. Bones can probably move him if you want..."

"No. This is where he deserves to be—soul or no soul," Sirius said coldly. He felt absolutely no sympathy for the traitor before him.

Sirius turned away from the cell and strode purposefully to the door of the ward, holding it open for his colleagues. Without a backwards glance, Sirius shut the door, locked it, and followed Kingsley and Bones from Azkaban, stuffing chocolate into his mouth as he walked.

* * *

Remus shook his head and sat back down in the stands just after Katie Bell scored a penalty shot for Gryffindor. He glanced up and noticed Harry searching, not for the snitch, but for his godfather. Remus shook his head and smiled apologetically at the disappointed Seeker.

Sirius was supposed to have been there three hours ago; he was going to meet Remus for breakfast and wish Harry good luck in the game.

Remus sighed just as a panting voice next to him said, "What'd I miss?" Sirius was out of breath as if he had run all the way to Hogwarts.

"Where have you been?" Remus asked, taking in his friend's disheveled appearance.

"I was up late last night. Nightmares," he added in a mutter. He was searching the sky for Harry, and finally spotting him he waved.

Remus raised an eyebrow at Sirius' comment, then remembered he was at Azkaban the day before.

"What's the score?" Sirius asked.

"Forty to ten, Gryffindor."

"No sign of the snitch?"

"Not even a shimmer. But this has got to be the dirtiest game I have seen since your Beater days," Remus replied, wincing as Harry flew straight up on his Firebolt, causing the two Slytherin Beaters to collide into each other.

"Nice move." Sirius grinned.

The game had gotten worse from there and Remus was forced to retract his previous statement. "This is _worse_ than your days." Draco Malfoy had just tried holding onto Harry's broom as he made to catch the snitch.

Sirius nodded in agreement, cursing loudly at the Slytherin Seeker, and receiving sniggers from a group of seventh year Gryffindor boys seated behind them. The score was eighty to twenty when Sirius suddenly jumped from his seat. "GO HARRY!" he shouted.

Remus stood and spotted Harry streaking through the sky just behind Malfoy. He knocked Malfoy out of the way and pulled out of the dive. He had caught the snitch. Three-quarters of the stadium exploded in cheers and applause. The other Gryffindors on the team collided into Harry in mid-air.

"C'mon, Moony!" Sirius called, grinning widely as he made his way to congratulate Harry.

* * *

Later that night, two a.m. to be exact, after enjoying Gryffindor's triumph at the Quidditch Cup, Sirius followed Remus to his office.

"I don't think I've ever seen that kind of party in Gryffindor Tower," Sirius commented. "I mean, that even out did the graduation party we threw in seventh."

Remus chuckled. "I know. Fred and George must have been planning that one for months."

Sirius nodded as they reached the Defense classroom. Remus unlocked the door with his wand and lit a few lamps while Sirius had a look around.

"That dragon's still here, eh?" he asked, pointing to the large skeleton hanging above the desks.

"Don't get any ideas, Padfoot," Remus said dryly, remembering James and Sirius' attempts to charm the skeleton to fly through the school.

"I won't," Sirius grinned, secretly reminding himself to mention the idea to Harry.

"And don't give Harry any ideas either," Remus said, digging through his desk drawer.

"Damn."

"Come on," Remus said, walking to his private quarters. He conjured an extra bed for Sirius and went to change out of his robes. When he reentered the room, he found Sirius still fully dressed, sitting on the edge of his conjured bed, a piece of parchment in hand, with a rarely seen grave expression on his face.

"What?" Remus asked, eyeing the parchment suspiciously.

Sirius hesitated and held the letter out. "I think you should read this."

Remus walked over slowly and took the parchment. Sirius watched his expression as he read; it never changed—the mask was back. Once he had finished the letter, Remus folded the parchment carefully and handed it back to his friend. "Well, I guess we'd better talk to Dumbledore in the morning," he said casually, though Sirius thought he heard his best friend's voice catch.

Sirius nodded and went to change into a pair of pajamas Remus lent him. When he walked back into the room, Remus was turned away from him, "asleep" by the sounds of it, so Sirius went to his bed and turned out the lights without another word.

* * *

Over the next week, many things occurred. Dumbledore suggested strengthening the wards and charms around their home before Harry came back, but didn't have much to say on the subject of Malfoy. Remus thought the Headmaster had been waiting for something like this to happen. Sirius said he would take care of the charms when he got home.

Exams had taken place at Hogwarts and Remus couldn't have been prouder of his students. Many of them received full marks—Harry included—and the rest didn't do too poorly either.

Currently, Remus was heading back to his study to wait the coming full moon and Snape's potion.

As much as he loved Hogwarts, he was quite looking forward to going home for the summer. And of course, the Quidditch World Cup, though he wouldn't tell Sirius that. Remus sat at his desk grading last minute papers for his sixth years when a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," Remus called to the visitor. Snape walked in carrying a smoking goblet with the usual nasty look upon his face.

_Would it kill him to smile every so often?_ his own voice asked in his mind.

_Hopefully,_ said a voice that sounded a lot like Sirius. "Ah, Severus, thank you," Remus said aloud, attempting to smile instead of laugh at the Potions Master.

Snape said nothing but stood in front of Remus' desk, holding the Wolfsbane Potion.

Remus raised an eyebrow; usually Snape gave him the potion and left as quickly as his little potion-making legs could carry him. "Is there a problem, Severus?"

"Have you spoken to Potter?" Snape asked crisply.

"Yes, I have. Last week, actually. In fact, I wanted to speak with you about that," Remus said, setting his quill on the desk.

"Oh?" Snape said with his own raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Harry's told me before, not just on this occasion, that you've goaded him in class. He says you regularly speak ill of Sirius and James, and we would both like that to cease," Remus said in a pleasant tone with an authority only he could pull off.

"I see," Snape said, his mouth forming a pale line. "Well, as I am sure you very well know since you have the _pleasure_ of living with him, Potter is much like Black and his father—"

"I have noticed," Remus interrupted, knowing exactly where Snape was taking this conversation and wanting it ended before it got ugly.

"Then you've realized, Lupin, that Potter is just as arrogant, if not more so, than the two of them? Meaning, anything I say to him goes in one ear and out the other without so much as sticking in what ever little brain he possesses," Snape said, his lip curling.

Remus sighed, standing, but tried to keep his temper in check. "Look, Harry is nothing like his father or Sirius were at that age. He may get into a bit of trouble, but if I remember correctly, we _all_ did at that age."

"A bit of trouble?" Snape repeated quietly, still holding the Wolfsbane. "Potter has no respect for authority, whatsoever, and if his poor behavior and test results do not improve, I will be forced to speak with the Headmaster."

"Perhaps Harry would respect the authority in your classroom, and as a result have better test results, if his teacher would get over things that happened twenty years ago and _grow up_! Don't hold a grudge against Harry; the boy wasn't even _born_ then!" Remus said, his voice rising. He was still trying to keep his temper under control, but it was proving hard with Snape in the vicinity.

Snape, however, tried no such thing. "Grow up, Lupin?" he said in a deadly soft voice. "You and your little friends nearly killed me. I think that's quite a reasonable _grudge_, as you say."

"Fine, you want to hate Sirius, James, and myself? Go right ahead. But keep Harry out of it; he's done nothing to you," Remus growled.

Snape's hands began to shake as his anger with Remus grew. "You will not tell me how I am to treat my students, Lupin, or you will find yourself in a most awkward position."

Remus almost laughed. Almost. "Are you threatening me?"

"Take it as you will," Snape snapped, turning on his heel and striding to the door.

"The potion, Severus?" Remus called as Snape opened the door.

Snape turned and Remus saw a small smirk on his lips before he dropped the goblet to the floor, shattering it and spilling the Wolfsbane all over.

Remus stared expressionless at its remains. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The next morning, Remus indeed found himself in an awkward position. Instead of being on the floor of his warm office, he was lying on what felt like a pile of rocks. When he looked down, he found he wasn't too far off on this assumption—it was a pile of bones, the bones of the dragon skeleton that just last night was hanging above the desks in the classroom.

He felt a sharp pain in his side, and found himself to be bleeding. He wasn't sure if the large wound was self-induced, or caused by something else.

What he was sure of, however, was the door to his office had been completely destroyed, as was the majority of the classroom. The metal door leading to the rest of the school had deep claw marks on it. Remus sat up on the skeleton and buried his face in his hands.

Once he had patched himself, his office, and classroom up, Remus headed for Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, Remus," the headmaster greeted with a smile. The smile turned to a frown once Dumbledore set eyes on Remus. "What is it, my boy?"

Before Dumbledore could do any questioning, Remus handed him his letter of resignation with a sad sigh.


	4. Four

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Four_

Sirius awoke suddenly as the smell of breakfast invaded his nostrils. No, invaded wasn't the correct word; more like pleased, enticed his senses. He slowly opened his eyes and looked to his right. The spot that had been occupied when he had closed his eyes was now empty, and lacking of its usual warmth. Hestia must have woken up early.

Grinning stupidly at the memory of the night before, Sirius got out of bed and pulled a pair of pajama pants over himself and left the room. He followed the smell of bacon, eggs, and fresh coffee to the kitchen. He had expected to see Hestia sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in her hand, reading the newspaper. What he did find was somebody indeed with a cup of coffee and the _Daily Prophet_ covering their face, but he was slightly disappointed and confused to find it wasn't Hestia.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he said to the person.

Remus slowly lowered his newspaper and gazed at Sirius standing in the door frame as he sipped his coffee. He placed the mug on the table and looked around. "Well, last I checked, I live here," he said simply.

Sirius raised an eyebrow and crossed the room to sit across from his friend. "Well, no kidding. I meant what are you doing here _now_?"

"Having my morning coffee and reading the paper. Oh, and by the way, Hestia said she had to go into work early; something about a splinching involving some couple kissing in Diagon Alley."

Sirius winced at the mental image. "Okay, let's try this again," he began in the tone Remus often used with him: as if he were speaking to a five-year-old. "Why are you here, and not at Hogwarts teaching little kiddies how to get rid of Hinkypunks or something? You know, the teacher thing..."

"Because I am no longer employed at Hogwarts," Remus said casually, sipping his coffee in bliss.

"What?" Sirius yelled. "Why the hell not? Dumbledore didn't sack you?"

"No, nothing like that; I resigned yesterday."

Sirius' mouth dropped open. "You..."

"Resigned, yes."

"Why? You love teaching!" Sirius cried in confusion.

"I do," Remus agreed.

"Then why did you resign? The term's not even over yet."

Remus sighed, sat his coffee mug on the table, closed his paper, and looked at Sirius. "I had a bit of a problem on the full moon."

"What kind of problem?" Sirius asked concerned, looking over Remus as if he were expecting to see his werewolf tail hadn't gone away.

"Well, you know how I told you I have to take the Wolfsbane three days in advance to the full moon, and if I miss a dose, it's useless?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"Yeah..." Sirius said slowly.

"I didn't get my last dose," Remus said simply.

"Why?" Sirius nearly growled, already knowing who was to blame.

Tiredly, Remus dove into the events two nights ago with Snape. By the time he had finished, Sirius was out of his seat, pacing angrily.

"And he just smashed your potion?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Did you hex him?"

"No."

"Want me to?"

Remus chuckled at Sirius' protectiveness. "No, it's okay, Sirius."

"No it is not bloody okay! He had no right to smash your potion! No matter what kind of argument he and you had," Sirius yelled, stopping to stare at Remus.

Remus rubbed his eyes. He had expected Sirius to react like this, but it didn't make the end result any better. "It's over and done with. Yes, I loved teaching. Yes, I loved being at Hogwarts again. Yes, I loved spending every day with Harry. But there's nothing you or I can do about it now."

"What'd Dumbledore say?"

"He wasn't too happy, but he understood my reasoning."

Sirius shook his head and sat back down. "I don't get you, Moony," he said, burying his head in his hands.

"What don't you get, Sirius?"

"How you just let Snape get away with that, how you don't even seem to care."

"I care, Sirius. Believe me, I do. Teaching was the best job I ever had, but just like all of the other jobs I've had in my life, this was inevitable. Not to mention the whole school knows by now; Snape told the Slytherins before breakfast yesterday," Remus said with a sigh.

"Bastard," Sirius growled.

"I agree."

"What'd Harry say? I assume he found out about all this."

"He found out I had resigned from Hagrid of all people, but I didn't tell him what happened. I don't need him getting into deeper trouble with Snape," Remus replied, refilling his coffee cup.

"What'd he say?"

"He wasn't too happy, either; begged me not to go. Told me none of the others care that I'm a werewolf. Dean Thomas said it made me 'cooler'," Remus said flatly.

"There you go! They don't care! And you're cool," Sirius said, smiling.

Remus didn't return the smile. "No, they might not, but their parents surely will. That's not the point anyway. I nearly escaped from the classroom. I could have attacked another teacher, or a student—"

"Or Snape. That wouldn't be too bad."

"Sirius," Remus warned.

"Sorry," Sirius said, hiding his grin in his own coffee cup. "So what're you going to do now that you're unemployed again?"

Remus sighed. "I don't know. I'll look for something new, I suppose. But I think I may just wait until Harry's back at school again; there's no way I'm leaving him here with the Weasley boys over everyday."

"Can't say I blame you there. We'd end up coming home and finding the place reduced to dust." Sirius laughed. Remus grimaced at the thought. "You know I could probably get you a job at the Ministry if you wanted."

"As what? A test subject?"

"No, idiot, whatever you want to do."

"Sirius, I think you're forgetting the Ministry's stand on employing dark creatures," Remus said.

"But the dementors—"

"There you go comparing werewolves to dementors again."

"Not what I meant. Look, Bones knows you, she likes you, she told me. If you want a job, I'm sure she'd give you one in a heartbeat."

Remus smiled. "Thank you, Sirius, but I'm going to have to decline your offer. I'll find my own work."

"You sure?" Sirius asked, unconvinced.

"I'm sure."

Sirius sighed in defeat. "All right."

Remus grinned suddenly, his eyes sparkling. "So late night last night?" he asked innocently.

"Shut up, Moony."

* * *

Less than a week later, Sirius and Remus stood outside the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ waiting for Harry's arrival.

"This is the best time of the year for me." Sirius smiled as the students emerged in small numbers to meet their families. He looked over to Remus who looked a bit downcast. "What?" he said. Sirius looked around them and noticed many parents sending looks of disgust and loathing to Remus. "Ignore them, mate," Sirius muttered.

"Now I know how you felt after your release," Remus muttered back.

"Welcome to the club... Hey, look, it's Molly!" Sirius pointed at the redhead fighting her way through the crowd.

"Afternoon, boys," Molly greeted them as she approached.

"Hello, Molly. Where's Arthur?" Remus asked, giving the woman a hug. If the Weasleys hadn't known about his condition for years already, Remus would have worried about their reactions.

"Oh, he's stuck at work. Some poor Muggle's been attacked by a charmed toaster again. How are you? I was very sorry to hear about your resignation. All of the children can't stop talking about your lessons. I don't think Fred and George ever achieved such good marks before you began at Hogwarts."

Remus smiled. Before he could say anything, a group of redheads caught his attention as they emerged through the crowd. In the very middle were a head of black untidy hair and a head of brown bushy hair.

Molly moved to greet her children while Sirius and Remus waited for Harry.

"Hey," Harry said, smiling as he drew nearer.

"Hey, Harry," Sirius said, hugging his godson as if he hadn't seen the boy in months.

Remus hugged him next and ruffled his hair, much to Harry's irritation. Remus grinned. The trio bid farewell to the Weasleys and Grangers and walked to the awaiting Ministry car in the parking lot.

"How was the rest of your term?" Remus asked as he helped Sirius put Harry's trunk in the back of the car.

"Boring," Harry replied. "Since we had an open period," he glared at Remus, "we spent most of it outside while Fred and George harassed the squid."

"Any more issues with Snape?" Sirius asked as they situated themselves in the car.

"No, he's been ignoring me, actually," Harry said. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"So what should we do tonight?" Remus asked as the car jumped ahead of a queue at the light.

"I say we order in for dinner and find a good movie on the tellyvizzy," Sirius said.

"Television," Remus and Harry corrected automatically. Even after eight years, Sirius still couldn't get it right. Remus suspected he did it on purpose.

"Whatever."

The three of them walked into the cottage and Harry sighed happily. "Home sweet home," he said, dragging his trunk in the door.

Sirius smiled. "Go put your things in your room and let Hedwig out. We'll get dinner situated."

Harry headed down the hallway while Remus went to the living room. Sirius, however, remained leaning against the door frame of the open door. Remus raised an eyebrow at him, but went to the living room.

"Three," he muttered. "Two... One..."

There was a loud bang, then—

"SIRIUS!"

Remus jumped from the sofa, wand out, and ran full force to Harry's bedroom. Again, Sirius stayed where he was. He couldn't move even if he had wanted to; he was doubled over laughing. A few moments later, Remus led Harry back to the hallway. Sirius looked up long enough to take a good look at his godson and continued laughing even harder.

Harry was covered, from head to toe, in baking flour, giving the visual of a badly clichéd ghost. Sirius had setup his room to blast him the moment he entered.

_Just wait until he opens the closet_, the Auror thought, quite pleased to see it had worked.

Harry shook his head, flour flying in all directions, and looked at Remus. He had hoped Remus would clean the mess, but it seemed Remus was having trouble breathing. He was very red, and it seemed Harry's beloved surrogate godfather had cracked a few ribs trying not to laugh at Harry. He'd lost the battle long ago.

"Okay, once you two have finished..." Harry said, trying not to laugh himself at the obvious immaturity of his guardians.

Eventually, Sirius and Remus calmed themselves enough to use a cleaning charm on Harry. Sirius ruffled his hair and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Ah, I missed you, kid." he said, wiping his eyes and heading for the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry muttered, smiling and following him.

* * *

The next morning, Sirius Flooed into the Atrium of the Ministry and started towards the elevators to take him to Auror Headquarters. Just as he approached an awaiting group of witches and wizards, however, he turned sharply and tried to go into the other direction.

It was too late.

"Sirius!" said a bubbly voice.

Sirius closed his eyes tight and groaned inwardly. He turned back to the voice and faked a smile. "Hello, Bertha."

Bertha Jorkins practically ran to catch up to him. "How are you, Sirius? I haven't seen you in so long!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I see you everyday, Bertha. We just talked last week when I was speaking with Ludo."

"Oh, right," Bertha said, batting her eyelashes. "Well, anyway, how are you?"

"Just fine, Bertha," Sirius said dully, hoping to get away from the woman; she was just a tad too close. Sirius took a step back. "Are you going to the Cup?" he asked to be friendly. He didn't like to be rude if he could help it.

"Oh, no," Bertha replied happily. "No, I'm going on holiday to visit a few cousins in Albania."

"Sounds lovely," Sirius said. "Listen, Bertha, as wonderful as it is catching up with you, I've got to meet with Kingsley."

"Oh, okay," Bertha said, looking slightly putout. "Well, I'll see you when I get back. Maybe we can catch up over dinner sometime?" she added hopefully.

_Fat chance,_ Sirius thought. "Sounds great. Bye, Bertha." Before she could finish what would undoubtedly be a long-winded goodbye, Sirius was pushing the _two_ button and waving through the grilles of the lift as they shut. He leaned against the wall of the lift and rolled his eyes. Even though she had been a few years older than Sirius, Bertha Jorkins had always shown a strange, unnerving interest in him.

The lift grilles opened, and Sirius started down the corridor.

"Mornin', Black," said a voice the moment Sirius stepped into Auror Headquarters.

"Good morning, Dawlish. Anything interesting today?" Sirius asked, approaching the Auror.

"Not really. Barty Crouch is still running around, trying to get in on the Malfoy case," Dawlish said.

"Is he now? Does he not realize the Department of Magical Cooperation has nothing to do with Malfoy?"

"Obviously not. But I think he's smart enough not to try and snoop around while you or Shacklebolt are here." Dawlish chuckled.

"Yeah," Sirius said, a bit irritated at the fact Barty Crouch was still employed at the Ministry at all. "Okay, I'll speak with Bones about him. Have you had any word about—"

"Sirius!" called a deep voice on the other side of Headquarters.

Sirius turned to face Kingsley as he approached. "Morning, sunshine!" he said cheerfully.

Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "Right. Anyway, we need to finalize everything for the Auror graduation tomorrow."

Sirius grimaced. "Paperwork?"

Kingsley laughed. "No, Sirius, no paperwork. It's okay," he said consolingly.

"Thank Merlin," Sirius said with exaggerated relief.

"This is our leader, Shacklebolt. What kind of leader can't handle paperwork?" Dawlish teased.

"I can handle paperwork. I'd just prefer fighting a Death Eater any day," Sirius said.

"Really?" Dawlish asked.

"Wouldn't you?"

"Depends on the Death Eater," Kingsley said.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Back to work. Come on, Kingsley."

* * *

"Hey, Remus," Harry said as he walked through the kitchen after a morning of flying.

"Hey, Harry," Remus said distractedly, concentrating on his book. "What time did you go out this morning?"

"Early. Sirius wasn't even up yet," Harry replied, grabbing a Butterbeer from the refrigerator.

"Mmm," Remus said, turning a page in his book. He heard Harry sit next to him and he glanced up quickly as Harry scratched his head, and then continued with his book. As the visual image connected with his brain, Remus did a double take. "What happened to you?" he demanded, looking at Harry's bloody t-shirt sleeve.

"Fell." Harry shrugged.

Remus moved the t-shirt out of the way and got a good look at the injury: it was a deep gash running from his elbow to his shoulder. "There's no way you did this falling," he said, looking at Harry slightly accusatory.

"Well, a tree got in my way. Remus, it's okay. Honestly," Harry insisted. Remus ignored him and crossed the kitchen to the sink to retrieve a wet towel to clean Harry's arm.

"Ow!" Harry cried as the towel made contact.

"It's fine, huh?" Remus muttered. "Just stay still." He grabbed his wand and tapped it against Harry's arm, muttering a healing charm. Instantly, the gash closed and disappeared, leaving no evidence it had ever been there at all.

"See, it's fine," Harry said, moving his arm around for emphasis.

Remus rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You shouldn't be flying out in the clearing alone."

"Why? I've been doing it for years!" Harry said.

"I know, but..." Remus trailed off, looking worried.

"What? You think Malfoy and Voldemort are going to come and get me?" Harry grinned.

"It's not funny," Remus said firmly.

Harry's grin faded. "I'm fine out there. All the wards and stuff you and Sirius put up... there's no way they can get through."

_They got through at Hogwarts_, Remus thought darkly. "Look, just do me a favor, okay? Stay close to the house when you're flying alone. Humor me, okay?"

Harry sighed. "Okay."

"Thank you."

"So what's for dinner?" Harry asked, looking around the kitchen.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "It's not even lunchtime, yet."

"Oh, well, what's for lunch?"

"What ever you decide to get off your bony butt and make." Remus grinned. "Who do I look like? Molly Weasley?"

Harry laughed. "No, but you worry about as much as she does."

"Get used to it," Remus said, ruffling Harry's hair.

* * *

Sirius stood at the back of the Auror training classroom next to Kingsley as Minister Bone congratulated those who would qualify in a day's time.

"Good bunch this year," Kingsley commented, looking around the room.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed.

Bones finished with her speech and gestured for Sirius to come to the front.

"Afternoon," he said to the group. The Aurors-in-Training returned the sentiment. "For the past three years, you've all gone through what you consider to be hell and back. Tomorrow, you finally receive your Auror's licenses." A cheer sounded through the room. Sirius grinned. "And after that you get to be in on the action. I've been watching this group since day one, and I have to say you lot are the best looking group of new Aurors I've seen in years. So congratulations, and welcome aboard."

Sirius dismissed the group and they all scrambled to the door. One, however, stayed. Her hair was spiked and purple today. Under her black Ministry robes, she wore a t-shirt that bore the legend: _Screeming Banshees_—a loud wizard rock band Harry had recently begun to enjoy. And her black cargo pants were strategically ripped in various spots.

Sirius grinned. "Nymphy!"

"Call me that again and suffer a slow, painful death, Black," Tonks said. Sirius might have felt a little more threatened had she not tripped on her way up to him and fell flat on her face. Sirius stopped laughing long enough to help his cousin up.

"Wotcher," she said with a grin. "Thanks."

Sirius chuckled. "Excited about tomorrow?"

"Are you kidding? I can't wait to get this training crap done and get into the real stuff," she said enthusiastically.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Right now, training is more exciting. Trust me on that. So how're your parents taking all this?"

"Not bad. Mum was a bit frantic at first, but Dad calmed her down. Now she can't wait for me to have my license. Seems to think I'll move out after that. They'll be at the ceremony tomorrow," Tonks said.

"Frantic, eh? Doesn't your mummy know I wouldn't let anything happen to her little Nymphy?" Sirius grinned, pinching Tonks' cheek.

Tonks slapped his hand away and glared playfully. "Keep it up..."

"Respect your superiors, Tonks," Sirius warned, his lips twitching. "Listen, I was going to ask your parents tomorrow if the three of you wanted to come over to the cottage for a little party after the ceremony. What do you think?"

"Sounds good. Food?" Tonks asked.

"Of course! What kind of party of mine would it be without food?" Sirius grinned again.

"All right. Well, I've gotta get going; Mum's expecting me home. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Tonks."

Tonks turned to leave. Sirius winced as she miscalculated the distance between the doorframe and open door; her knee would undoubtedly bruise later. "I'm okay!" she called as she left the room limping.

Sirius shook his head, smiled, and began to gather his things to go home.


	5. Five

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Five_

Remus sat back comfortably in the sofa and listened as Sirius and Andromeda recalled their childhood antics. Both being white sheep of the Black family, they had many humorous stories about terrorizing their family together.

"So Sirius tells Regulus the potion will make it so he can see through walls, and Regulus, being the stupid kid he was, takes it. He drinks it, goes down stairs, and Sirius and I hear my dear Auntie Burga screaming at the top of her lungs about rodents being in the house," Andromeda explained through her laughter.

"What'd you do?" Remus grinned at Sirius.

"Turned him into a niffler. He tore the drawing room apart before Father could figure out how to reverse the potion. And by the way, I got this potion from Teddy," Sirius said, pointing to the man sitting next to Andromeda.

He was trying just a little too hard to maintain an innocent look. "I had no idea the uses this young man was going to put said potion to until way after the fact. I am completely innocent in all this," Ted Tonks said.

"You knew _exactly_ what he was going to do with it," Andromeda accused. "Sirius had been complaining about Regulus going through his things all summer," she explained to Remus.

Remus laughed and looked around the living room. "Has anyone seen Harry recently?"

"I think he and Dora went out for a fly. She was quite impressed with the fact that he owns a Firebolt," Ted said, smirking.

Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled. "I still don't understand why the boy needed a Firebolt. His Nimbus 950 was perfectly fine!"

"Can I not spoil my godson without you ruining the fun?" Sirius asked in mock-offense.

"Do whatever you want, by all means. It's not like he doesn't have enough possessions," Remus joked.

"I will do whatever I want, thank you," Sirius replied.

"Okay."

Andromeda watched the exchange and burst out laughing. "You two sound like an old married couple. You do know that?"

Sirius and Remus looked at one another.

"I want a divorce," Sirius said to Remus, keeping a straight face.

"I get the house."

"I get Harry."

"I get half your money," Remus smirked.

"You can have Harry," Sirius said.

"I still get half your money."

"Damn."

During the argument, Harry and Tonks reentered the living room and were staring at Sirius and Remus as if they weren't from the same planet.

"Are they always like this?" Tonks whispered to Harry.

"Pretty much," Harry said hopelessly.

"My sympathy."

"Thanks."

"Fine! You can have half my money, but I get your book collection," Sirius said with a triumphant grin.

Remus looked horrified. "You wouldn't," he whispered. Sirius nodded. "That's just dirty..."

"How about you stay together for the sake of the kid?" Tonks suggested, patting Harry on the back.

Sirius turned and grinned at his embarrassed looking godson. "I think we can reach some sort of agreement. Right, Moony?"

"Whatever you want. Just don't take my books," Remus said, looking worriedly down the hall to his bedroom.

"So, Harry, Sirius tells us you're quite the Quidditch star at Hogwarts," Ted said once his laughter subsided.

Harry began to deny being the star of anything when Sirius piped up. "Don't be so modest, Harry! Youngest player on a House team in a century, Ted!"

"That's impressive. I saw your dad play a few times during school, Harry, and if you're anything like him, you have to be one hell of a player," Ted said.

Harry smiled and blushed at the comparison to his father. "Thanks," he muttered. He still didn't take compliments too well.

"Who wants another drink?" Remus asked, taking the attention off Harry and receiving a thankful smile in return.

"SHOTS!" Sirius cried, running into the kitchen to grab the firewhiskey and shot glasses. On his return, Remus noticed the bottle seemed to have evaporated a bit from the last time he checked, and Sirius' center of gravity seemed a bit off as well.

Sirius poured the shots for the adults and handed a disappointed Harry a butterbeer. They all stood and raised their glasses (or bottle). "To Nymphy," Sirius said. "May she not trip whilst in action!"

Tonks slapped his arm while everyone else laughed.

"To Nymphy!" they chorused.

After a few more hours of drinking and laughing, Andromeda and Ted declared it was time to call it a night—Harry had just fallen asleep on Sirius' shoulder, dropping his empty butterbeer bottle to the floor. Sirius smiled, shook his head, and laid Harry down gently on the sofa. He and Remus led the Tonkses to the door.

"Thank you for having us over," Andromeda said, hugging her cousin. "Next time you'll have to come over to our place."

"Absolutely. Nymphy, nine a.m. on Monday. Don't be late," Sirius warned, pointing in mock threat to Tonks.

Tonks glared half-heartedly and hugged him. "See you on Monday, Sirius. It was great seeing you again, Remus," she said.

"You too, Tonks. Have a good weekend," Remus replied.

The Tonkses left and Remus closed the door behind them.

"That was fun," Sirius said, smiling.

"Definitely. Let's go see if we can get Harry up and into his room," Remus said.

Sirius grinned mischievously and took out his wand.

"Sirius..." Remus said, following his friend to the living room. He didn't get too far in; Sirius had stopped short of the sofa.

"What?" Remus asked, moving around Sirius. "Oh my god..." He ran over to the sofa and tried to stop Harry's thrashing in his sleep. "Harry!" he said, holding down the boy's arms to prevent injury to either of them. "Sirius, help me!"

Sirius broke out of whatever thoughts he had been having and ran over, pointing his wand at Harry. "_Ennervate_!" he cried. The spell had not worked; Harry continued to thrash and whimper in his unconsciousness.

Remus leaned over him, smacking his cheeks roughly to wake him, calling his name. After nearly ten helpless minutes of this, Harry's eyes snapped open, and he sat straight up, nearly colliding with Remus' head.

"Harry..." Sirius said quietly, kneeling beside Remus.

Harry looked around wildly for a few moments, spotted his guardians, and settled back into the sofa. His right hand clutched his scar.

"Harry, what happened?" Remus questioned quietly, moving Harry's hair from his eyes.

"I saw him..." Harry whispered hoarsely.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a quick glance. "Saw who, Harry?" Sirius asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Voldemort," Harry whispered, confirming their thoughts.

Sirius bit his lip and gulped. Harry hadn't had any dreams about Voldemort or Death Eaters since he was nine years old. "Can you tell us what happened?" he asked.

Harry closed his eyes tightly, willing himself to remember. "It was dark... really dark... He was in a chair... someone was kneeling before him..." Sirius made to interrupt, but Remus elbowed him hard in the ribs. "They were talking about someone... he wants something badly... I couldn't hear too well... but something is going to happen... something bad... He's really happy..." Harry finished, looking at Sirius and Remus with wide eyes.

The living room remained silent for long minutes. Harry's pale face slowly regained its color, his breathing was steadying, and he wiped the cold sweat from his face. Finally, Remus broke the silence with the clearing of his throat. "We can discuss this in the morning. I'll grab a Dreamless Sleep Potion."

Sirius helped Harry to his room and assisted him in changing into his pajamas.

"What do you think this means?" Harry asked his godfather once he was comfortable in bed.

Sirius sat on the edge of Harry's bed and sighed. "I don't know, kid. I really don't. But we'll figure it out. All you need to worry about now is getting some good sleep. What do you say to flying tomorrow?"

Harry smiled slightly at the change of subject; Sirius always had a way to get his mind off of the bad things. He nodded his answer as Remus entered the bedroom with a goblet of potion.

"Drink it all," Remus instructed. Harry drained the contents and found himself drifting off to sleep.

Sirius and Remus left the room quietly after some time, after making sure the potion was effective, and headed to the kitchen to clean up. Neither mentioned Harry's dream; they didn't need to. Both knew what the dream meant, even if they didn't know what would happen or when.

"I'll owl Dumbledore in the morning," Sirius said, throwing some empty butterbeer bottles into the trash bin.

Remus nodded. "You think it's Malfoy?" he asked, referring to the other man in the dream.

"I don't know who else it could be," Sirius answered. "Unless there's someone else doing his bidding."

Remus turned away from Sirius and looked down the hallway to Harry's bedroom, thinking back nearly eight years to the night Voldemort nearly returned to power. The only thing that had stopped him that night was a well-placed Reductor curse from Sirius before the potion had finished its job.

Remus and Dumbledore had many long conversations about that night during Remus' employ at Hogwarts. Most of the things they had discussed many times and were repeated eventually to Sirius. But there was one bit of information that Remus couldn't bring himself to mention to his friend—he tried hard not to think of it himself.

Voldemort could regain power at any time he wished. Though the potion hadn't finished restoring his powers, Voldemort still had all of the ingredients needed to return (bone of the father, flesh of the servant, blood of the enemy) residing within him. But something was delaying him...

Dumbledore's belief was that Voldemort wanted the Philosopher's Stone that had been hidden at Hogwarts for the last few years, protected by the school's teachers. Remus had been honored when Dumbledore approached him and asked him to provide something to help hide the ancient stone.

Remus had thought hard about what he could possibly add to what the others had already done. In the end, he realized that it was obvious what he should do. The only ones who could get past Remus' Boggart were himself and Dumbledore. Simple in theory, yes, but this was the nastiest Boggart Remus had ever encountered. If one didn't know the trick, one would suffer their worst fear until their dying moment.

"You okay, Remus?" Sirius asked.

Remus snapped from his thoughts and looked at his concerned friend. "Yeah, I'm just fine," he said.

It was obvious Sirius wasn't buying it, but he let the subject drop. "I'm taking Harry flying tomorrow, you want to come?"

Remus nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'm going to head off to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning."

Before Sirius could reply, Remus was halfway down the hall, headed to his bedroom.

* * *

Not three weeks later, Harry's dream about Voldemort had been mostly forgotten. Dumbledore had been notified and Sirius and Remus had been instructed to report any more dreams to him immediately.

Preparations were now underway for Harry's fourteenth birthday. Sirius had to be at work that afternoon, and Remus was in Diagon Alley picking up a few things. Reluctantly, they left Harry home alone, and agreed he could invite Ron and Hermione over.

The trio was sitting under a large tree facing the cottage in the backyard, staring around, bored out of their minds.

"So what do you two want to do?" Harry asked his friends.

"Chess?" Ron suggested.

"No," the other two said.

"Flying?" said Harry. Ron agreed, but Hermione didn't.

"Come on, Hermione, you gotta learn to fly some time," Ron insisted.

"That's quite all right." Hermione sighed.

"Well, then, what do you want to do?" Harry asked his bushy-haired friend.

"Well, you could tell us who is walking through your kitchen for one," Hermione said quietly, pointing through the kitchen window.

Harry snapped his head around quickly and narrowed his eyes against the sunlight. Indeed, he could see a large shadow moving slowly around the dark kitchen.

"Maybe it's Sirius or Remus?" Ron said, watching the shadow's movements anxiously.

"No," Harry said, standing. "No, they would have come outside to tell us they were back..."

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked, grabbing Harry's sleeve as he took out his wand and made for the house.

"I'm going to see who's in my house," Harry replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Ron hesitated, but stood and followed Harry. "Are you coming?" he asked, turning back to Hermione.

Hermione sighed, stood, and took out her own wand. The three quietly slipped through the backdoor. Harry gulped as he looked around the now empty kitchen. There was a loud crash in the direction of Sirius' room making Ron jump.

Harry peeked around the corner leading to the hallway; Sirius' bedroom door was ajar and the light was on. He motioned for the other two to follow and made his way down the hall. They stopped as they reached Sirius' bedroom. The shadow seemed to be rummaging through Sirius' desk, hidden from view by the door.

Slowly and silently, Harry held his wand at the ready and pushed the door open. Harry stared at the hunched figure over Sirius' desk with relief running through him "Kingsley?" he said louder than he had intended.

Kingsley jumped and spun around. "Harry! Merlin, you scared the hell out of me!"

Harry grinned. "We scared you? I thought you were a Death Eater or something. What was that crash?"

Kingsley laughed. "Sorry about that," he said. "I knocked over Sirius' lamp." He gestured to the lamp on the edge of the desk. Sirius had knocked it over a hundred times before.

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Oh, Sirius asked me to drop by and grab some reports. He's been swamped all day long and he couldn't get away," Kingsley replied, holding up a stack of parchment as proof. "I was going to go out and try to find you three before I left."

"Sirius sending you to check up on me, eh?" Harry smiled.

Kingsley smiled guiltily. "Yeah, but don't tell him I told you that. All right, I've got everything I need. Talk to you kids later. I'll be here for your birthday, Harry."

"Okay. Make sure you tell Sirius we're being good," Harry said.

"Are you?" Kingsley checked with a raised eyebrow.

"The house is still standing, isn't it?" Harry asked.

Kingsley rolled his eyes and led the trio from Sirius' bedroom. "I think Sirius has been a bad influence on you."

"That's what Remus says too," Harry said thoughtfully.

Kingsley laughed and took some Floo powder from the mantle above the fireplace. "See you three later!"

"See you," Harry, Ron, and Hermione said.

Kingsley tucked his reports safely in his robes, threw down the Floo Powder and said loudly, "Ministry of Magic! The Atrium!"

After he disappeared, Harry turned to the others. "Well, that was interesting," he said.

Hermione gave him an odd look. "Why would you think it was a Death Eater? I thought you had charms and wards to alert you of that kind of thing?"

"We do, but it's like Sirius says: anything's possible," Harry replied with a casual shrug. "Who's hungry? I think Sirius left some Chinese in the fridge."

* * *

Remus walked through Diagon Alley trying to think of what else he could possibly need. He and Sirius had sat up late the night before trying to think of what to get Harry for his birthday. Remus had already bought him new clothes, a set of Quidditch books, a new wizard wireless system (Harry had blown the speakers out on his old one), and a set of practice Quidditch robes.

He entered Flourish and Blotts to pick up a new book on Defensive charms for himself; he had been waiting for this book for months. For a second, he thought he had entered the wrong shop. There was a large group of witches gathered around a long table that stood at the front of the store.

Remus spotted the store clerk pushed up against the bookshelf holding books regarding household charms.

"What's going on?" Remus asked after he helped the clerk extricate himself from the crowd.

The old man was panting heavily, and wiped his brow with a handkerchief before answering. "Gilderoy Lockhart appearance."

Remus groaned audibly. "My deepest sympathies," he said to the clerk.

The man nodded his thank you and tried to fight his way through the crowd to the front of the store. Remus decided it would be best to get his book another day and made his way to exit the store. But the moment he put his hand on the door, a cheerful voice rang across the shop.

"Remus Lupin!"

"Dammit," Remus muttered. He turned to find the group of flustered witches parting as Gilderoy Lockhart headed his way. For a moment, Remus contemplated pretending he never heard the famous wizard, and making a run for it, but realized it was too late; Lockhart's unnaturally white teeth had blinded him, making it impossible for him to think his way out.

Before he knew what was happening, Lockhart was wringing his hand. _He must use a charm; nobody's hands are that soft..._ Remus became disgusted with himself for thinking about Lockhart's hands. _It's the teeth; they must have hypnotized me..._

"Hello, Gilderoy," Remus said, forcing a smile.

"Remus!" Lockhart said again. "Great Scott, it's been a long time."

"Yes, it has," Remus said, still smiling and trying to get his hand out of Lockhart's unusually tight grasp. _But not long enough..._ he thought.

"So I suppose you're here to buy my new book: _Chasing the Chimaera_?" Lockhart said, smiling smugly.

_How can anyone show off so many teeth while they're talking?_ Remus wondered. "Uh, no, actually, Gilderoy, I was —" Remus began.

"Of course you are! And since we're such old, dear friends—" Remus resisted the urge to burst out laughing. "—I think you should receive a free—_autographed_—copy!"

"Really, Gilderoy, it's quite all right. I'm sure your lovely fans would appreciate it more than I," Remus said, trying to get away from the man.

* * *

Later that night, Sirius was going through Remus' purchases in Diagon Alley when he stopped suddenly. Once he got his laughter under control, he put the book behind his back, and walked to the living room where Remus was helping Harry with his Astronomy homework.

Sirius watched them for a moment. "Remus," he said as innocently as possible.

"Yeah?" Remus said, not taking his attention away from Harry's star chart.

"Care to tell me anything?"

Remus looked up. "Like what…?"

Sirius took the book from behind his back and showed it to the two of them. "Like why the hell you have a _Gilderoy Lockhart_ book…"

Harry burst out laughing, nearly falling off the sofa in his hysterics, while Remus tried to explain.

"Really, Moony, it's quite all right. You don't have to hide anything from us. We love you just the way you are. Don't we, Harry?" Sirius asked, grinning.

Harry continued to laugh.

Remus rolled his eyes, summoned the book from Sirius' hands, pointed at Harry and said, "You're grounded."

Harry stopped laughing immediately.


	6. Six

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Six_

Remus walked out of the backdoor on the last day of July, butterbeer in hand, and smiled widely. Over the years, Harry's birthday parties had grown from simple afternoons with Remus, Sirius, and Harry to full out bashes. The backyard was now full of people laughing, joking, and eating.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were listening closely as Fred and George explained something they had been working on. George (or maybe it was Fred—even when he was a professor, Remus couldn't tell the difference) kept sending paranoid glances at Molly and Arthur as they spoke with Sirius, Hestia, and Kingsley at the food table. Hagrid was sitting with Nymphadora and her parents and McGonagall.

"Having a good time, Remus?" said a quiet voice to Remus' right.

He started a bit and looked into the smiling face of Dumbledore. "Hello, Albus. Yes, I'm having a wonderful time. How about yourself?" he said.

"I find myself looking forward to this more and more as the years pass." Dumbledore smiled. "I wonder if it would be possible for you to come to the castle later this week? I would like to discuss a few things with you."

Remus was a bit taken a back. "Certainly, sir, of course. We can talk now if you'd like..." He gestured to the house.

"No, no. I wouldn't want to ruin a glorious afternoon such as this with business," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Okay, I think I am free on Thursday, how's that?" Remus asked, trying to figure out what Dumbledore could possibly want to talk to him about.

"Perfect," the Headmaster said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Remus, I am quite anxious to taste Molly's pie."

Remus laughed. "Of course, sir, help yourself."

Dumbledore inclined his head slightly and moved towards the food table. Sirius sent Remus a questioning glance before he excused himself from Kingsley and Hestia's conversation, and headed for Remus.

"What's up?" Sirius asked, sipping his butterbeer.

"Not sure, actually. Dumbledore wants to talk to me. At Hogwarts," Remus said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Really? Think he's going to try and get you to come back?"

Remus shook his head. "No, he told me earlier he's got Mad-Eye Moody taking over for the year."

Sirius nearly choked on his drink. "Mad-Eye? Are you serious?"

Remus grinned. "No, you are."

"Har har," Sirius replied flatly. "Really, though, Mad-Eye Moody? As in my old boss Mad-Eye?"

"Unless there is someone else running around, calling themselves Mad-Eye. That's what Dumbledore said." Remus shrugged.

"That should be interesting."

Remus nodded. "Absolutely." He looked over to where Hestia was now speaking with Harry about something obviously very humorous; both were red in the face from laughing. "So what's really going on with you and Hestia, Sirius?"

Sirius looked sideways at Remus as he took an extra long sip from his bottle to avoid the question. "Honestly? I have no idea. We're more friends than anything," Sirius said. Remus raised his eyebrows, his eyes shining with humor. "I mean, yeah, we've spent a couple of nights together, but..."

"When's the wedding?" Remus asked, grinning.

"It's not like that," Sirius said firmly. "We're just... friends..."

"With benefits," Remus added.

Sirius grinned. "So when are we going to eat this cake?"

Remus could only laugh as Sirius walked across the yard, gave Harry a one-armed hug, and dragged him over to the cake. _Is he blushing?_ Remus wondered to himself. He continued laughing the rest of the afternoon at the very thought of Sirius Black blushing over anything. Sirius' involvement with Hestia Jones would remain a mystery for yet another afternoon.

* * *

Presents had been opened, cake had been devoured, and a large part of the guests had headed home. All that remained besides those who lived in the cottage were Ron, Hermione, Kingsley, Hestia, and Tonks. The kids had gone off to Harry's bedroom to test out the birthday boy's new wizard wireless system; Remus cast a silencing charm around his bedroom early in the evening to keep their eardrums fully intact.

The adults sat comfortably in the living room discussing Quidditch, the Ministry, and other things in their lives. Remus was quick to notice Sirius and Hestia had strategically sat themselves next to each other on the sofa. Kingsley sat in Sirius' favorite armchair while Tonks had chosen a spot in front of the empty fireplace on the floor.

Just as Remus sat down next to Sirius, an owl flew through the window and landed on Sirius' knee. The Head Auror raised an eyebrow at the bird, but took the scroll that was tied around its leg. He read it silently to himself, then muttered, "Bloody hell," before burning the parchment with his wand.

"What?" the others asked promptly.

Sirius sighed. "Kingsley, Tonks, we've got to go to the Ministry. Bones wants us in for an emergency meeting." He stood and looked around. "Moony, tell Harry I'm sorry. I'll make it up to him this weekend. Hestia, I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

The black-haired witch smiled and nodded in understanding as the wizard kissed her cheek. Sirius turned to the other Aurors and nodded. "See you, then," he said before the three of them Disapparated from the cottage.

Remus stared at the spot the Aurors had disappeared from with a thoughtful frown for a moment before turning to Hestia. "Wonder what that was all about," she said with the same quizzical look Remus surely had on his face.

"No idea. Hope everything's all right," Remus replied.

"Yeah..." Hestia said. She studied Remus for a moment. "Can I ask you something, Remus?"

"The boxers you found in the bathroom with the little yellow duckies on them belong to Sirius," Remus said with a grin.

Hestia laughed. "No, that's not it. But I will keep that in mind." She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, now, this might just be a rumor, I don't know, my source isn't too reliable." She gave a shaky laugh. "But well, is it true that you're a... well... a..."

"A werewolf?" Remus finished calmly for her.

Hestia nodded.

"Yes, that is true," Remus said, watching Hestia for her reaction.

"Oh," she replied awkwardly.

A tense silence fell between them. "You don't... have a problem with that?" Remus asked when he realized Hestia was still sitting next to him.

Hestia looked over at him with a thoughtful expression. "You know, I thought I would have a problem, but no, I don't." She smiled.

Remus smiled back in relief. "Well, that's good," he replied.

"I've asked Sirius before, but he always changes the subject on me," Hestia said.

Remus laughed. "Yes, he's getting quite good about changing subjects on people."

"He thinks quite highly about you, you know," Hestia said suddenly. "More than once he's referred to you as his brother."

"The feeling's mutual," Remus said. "I honestly can't think of my life without him or Harry. They may get on my nerves sometimes, but they are my family."

Hestia smiled. "You're good for him. You and Harry both. It's amazing how much Sirius has changed since I first met him. I mean, I think a lot of it was my first perception of him, you know, after Azkaban."

Remus nodded. "Yes, he's definitely changed. Not just in appearance, but his personality. When we first got back to Hogwarts that day, he had this dark aura about him. It's mostly faded now, but I still prefer to keep on his good side."

Hestia laughed. "Definitely," she agreed, looking at her watch. "Well, I better head home. I've got an early shift at St. Mungo's tomorrow."

Remus nodded and stood. "Thank you for coming today. I'm sure Harry, and Sirius, of course, appreciated it."

"Well, thanks for inviting me," Hestia said. "See you later, Remus."

Remus smiled and waved as Hestia Disapparated.

* * *

"Run that by me again, please," Sirius said, staring at Bones in disbelief.

The Minister sighed heavily. "Lucius Malfoy was sighted at Azkaban. Before anyone could apprehend him, he Disapparated."

"But that's impossible," Kingsley said. "You can't Apparate or Disapparate in or out of Azkaban. It's like Hogwarts."

"This is why I called you three in. I need to know how and why he was able to get on the island. I need to know what he was doing there," Bones said. "I know it's late, but we need these answers."

Sirius rubbed his face with his hands and glanced sideways at Tonks. "We'll take care of it, Minister. I'll get Magical Forensics out there, and someone to go to Azkaban to question the guards," he said.

"Thank you, Black. That will be all. I expect a full report by Monday." The three Aurors stood and began to leave.

"Oh, and Black, try and keep this low-key as possible for the time being. Rita Skeeter's back from holiday."

Sirius assured the Minister he would keep Skeeter and other reporters from the scene, and led Tonks and Kingsley from the office.

"What's the game plan, Boss?" Kingsley asked once they reached Auror Headquarters.

Sirius sighed; it was nearly one a.m. and all he wanted to do was sleep. "Get Dawlish, Harris, and Markson out to Azkaban. Call Jensen from Forensics and Booker from the Apparition squad; get them out there, too. Tell them not to talk to reporters. If they do, they're answering to me," Sirius said.

Kingsley nodded and went to his office to use the small fireplace used only for Floo calls.

"What do you want me to do?" Tonks asked determinedly.

Sirius held back the urge to raise an eyebrow. "Go home and sleep," he said dryly.

"No! I can help, Sirius," Tonks insisted.

Sirius eyed her wearily. He was impressed with her eagerness to be on such an important case, but worried about her experience. Or lack thereof. "All right," he said after a few minutes. "Go to Azkaban and hold off any reporters that show. Don't answer any questions about why you're there. Talk to nobody that doesn't have a Ministry badge."

"Okay," Tonks said.

"And be careful. Can you conjure a patronus?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, Sirius," Tonks said, rolling her eyes.

"You look like Harry when you do that. Okay, off you go. I'll be there in a bit."

Tonks nodded and Disapparated.

Kingsley returned from his office a few minutes later. "Everyone's there. Want me to supervise?"

"Yeah. I've got Tonks on reporter duty. They try and get past her it might just end humorously for us. That girl has a hell of a temper when she's tested." Sirius chuckled.

"Sounds just like her cousin," Kingsley muttered.

"Shut up and get going. I'll be there later," Sirius said.

Kingsley Disapparated.

Sirius sat on a desk in one of the cubicles and frowned deeply. He could only think of a few reasons a Death Eater, Malfoy specifically, would be at Azkaban: the dementors and the prisoners. Both were equally bad to think about, but which was it?

Was Malfoy trying to get the dementors on Voldemort's side once again? Was he trying to figure out the best way to break the prisoners out?

After looking over numerous reports on the prison, its prisoners, and Malfoy, Sirius Disapparated to the edge of the seacoast. The Muggle boat was waiting and he stepped in; it took off immediately. It was now four in the morning—dawn would be coming soon—and Sirius could not wait to climb into his bed and sleep. As the boat hit the other coast, and Sirius stepped onto land, he was ambushed by a large group of reporters.

"Black, what's going on here?"

"Have the dementors revolted?"

"Is it true that Peter Pettigrew has recovered from the Dementor's Kiss and has escaped?"

"What?" Sirius yelled, turning to the reporters after he tripped on a rock. "No. Get out of here. A statement will be made when we are ready to make it and not a millisecond sooner." Sirius rolled his eyes as he approached Tonks looking triumphant. "What are you smirking about?" he asked cautiously. He knew that smirk. He invented that smirk.

Tonks only nodded at the group of reporters. "Watch," she said.

The reporters slowly, cautiously even, approached. They stopped fifty feet from where Sirius and Tonks stood. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

The group parted as the unmistakable figure of Rita Skeeter approached the front. She smiled at Sirius, showing off her gold tooth. She passed the invisible line the reporters stopped at, and Sirius watched her stop abruptly, stumble a bit, her smile fading. Skeeter was thrown back over the reporters, nearly landing in the water. It was as if she had been catapulted by giant rubber band.

Sirius laughed loudly and patted Tonks on the back. "Not bad, Nymphy. I'll have to remember that one!" Tonks glared, but allowed her cousin to turn her towards Kingsley and Dawlish.

"Anything?" Sirius asked quietly when they got closer, his amusement completely gone.

"Not really," Kingsley said regretfully. "The guard said he'd been doing perimeter checks. Malfoy was climbing the rock on the north side. The guard attempted a stunner, missed, and Malfoy Disapparated. We've checked all the charms twice; nothing's been tampered with. They're just as strong as ever and haven't been taken down once. No idea how he got here or left. Forensics found one footprint, but when they tested it, it wasn't Malfoy's. Dead end. Again."

Sirius swore so loudly and colorfully that his fellow Aurors jumped back, and the reporters two hundred feet away had no trouble hearing. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't publish such language.

"Wow," Dawlish said, clearly impressed by Sirius' extensive vocabulary.

"Where're the dementors?" Sirius asked once he had calmed down.

"East side of the prison," Kingsley said, gesturing opposite them.

Sirius nodded. "Have the prisoners been questioned?"

"Prisoners?" Kingsley asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why would we question the prisoners?"

Sirius sighed impatiently. "Do you know what's on the north side? What ward?" The other three shook their heads.

"Maximum security prisoners. And I'll bet you anything they were what brought Malfoy out," Sirius explained. "Show me where Malfoy was when he Disapparated."

Kingsley led Sirius and Tonks around the prison, and pointed to a spot that had been roped off by Ministry tape. Sirius examined the spot, then turned to look back at the prison.

A pair of dull grey eyes, so much like his own, stared out at him from the small prison cell window. "Kingsley," Sirius said, still looking at the eyes. "I want them all questioned. Use Veritaserum if you have to. Question the Lestranges thoroughly and get back to me. I'm going to fill Bones in. Tonks, come with me."

As they walked back to the Muggle boat, warding off reporters as they went, Sirius glanced over at Tonks. His cousin's neon pink hair only brought out her pale face even more. Sirius reached into his robes and pulled out two chocolate frogs, giving one to Tonks. She smiled gratefully, and began to eat.

The quietly rode back to the other coast, and Sirius nudged Tonks. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded gravely. "I've never been there."

Sirius sighed. "I know. But trust me, it's worse on the inside."

"Do you think Malfoy was there for the others?" Tonks asked.

Sirius did not have to ask what "others" she was referring to. "That was my second thought. His being on their side of the prison is highly significant. Security will be increased. Bones has been losing faith in the dementors for years; they can't be trusted."

"Because they're dark creatures." Tonks nodded.

"No, that's not it at all," Sirius said patiently. "Just because something is labeled 'dark' doesn't mean they're untrustworthy. No. The dementors' loyalty has never been high with the Ministry. And Bones is afraid that if Voldemort comes back, they won't hesitate in joining him." Sirius looked at Tonks with an odd expression. "You didn't flinch," he observed.

"Why? It's just a name," Tonks said.

Sirius smiled. "Good girl."

Tonks rolled her eyes.

* * *

Remus sat on the sofa, a roaring fire in the fireplace across from him, with a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other. Sirius hadn't returned since he had left for the Ministry the night before (it was now ten o'clock), but he had contacted Remus via the two-way mirrors. He probably wouldn't get back home until early the next morning, he'd said, and he didn't want Remus going "all girly with worry," he'd added with a grin. Harry had gone to the Burrow for the night at the Weasleys insistence, leaving Remus to a rare quiet night alone. While he loved Sirius and Harry more than anything, it was good to have a few hours of peace.

Remus drained the last of his wine, stood, and headed for the kitchen for another glass. He filled his glass and opened the refrigerator to find something to quiet his growling stomach. Deciding on leftover spaghetti, Remus took his food and drink back to the living room.

He sat back on the sofa with a sigh. Just as he started to eat, all of the lights in the cottage went out, leaving him in darkness, save the suddenly eerie orange glow from the fire. Remus listened hard for any sounds in the house and reached for his wand on the end table. It wasn't there. Trying not to panic, he stood and walked towards his bedroom for his spare wand.

Before he could get all the way down the hall, however, Remus spotted a tall figure in his way.

"Hello, Lupin," Lucius Malfoy said softly. "Miss me?"


	7. Seven

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Seven_

Sirius Apparated into the cottage at two-thirty that morning. He was completely exhausted and desperately needed a nice, long shower.

Before he could make his way to the bathroom, however, he noticed something was not right in his home. He looked around the living room and the first thing he saw was the glowing embers in the fireplace. It looked as though somebody had had the fire going, but let it die out. This was a strange occurrence, because Harry was at the Weasley home for the night and Remus never went to bed without making sure that the fire was totally out. Sirius turned and looked at the coffee table. He raised his eyebrows so high they threatened to become part of his hair line: Remus' book was laying wide open between a full glass of wine and a bowl of spaghetti. And it most definitely wasn't like Remus to leave a book and food sitting somewhere.

"Remus?" Sirius called into the darkness.

No answer.

Sirius' intention was to walk through the kitchen to Remus' bedroom to find out what kept his friend from tidying up after himself like he always did. He reached for the light switch in the kitchen and flicked it on and off a few times. The room remained in total darkness; perhaps the power was out?

"_Lumos_," Sirius muttered to his wand. With the thin beam of light that came out of his wand, Sirius saw that the entire kitchen was a mess. The table had been turned onto its side. Two chairs had been broken. There was a large dent in the refrigerator.

Breathing heavily, and trying to keep his body from shaking, Sirius knelt beside a dark crimson stain on the linoleum floor. Dried blood. He waved his wand over it and muttered a forensics spell to tell him to whom the blood belonged. He closed his eyes tightly as the hologram appeared before him, praying to whatever higher power that may be listening that the blood didn't belong to his friend.

Taking a deep breath, Sirius opened his eyes, looked at the hologram, and collapsed to the floor.

_Lupin, Remus John_

_Aged: 34 years_

_**Registered Lycanthrope**_

A picture of Remus appeared next to the words.

"REMUS!" Sirius yelled again through the house, though he knew there would be no answer.

He tried to calm himself long enough to think, but thoughts of what could be happening to his best friend continued to interrupt any useful training he had. Finally, the Auror in him overpowered his emotions. He stood from the kitchen floor, used the counter next to him to balance his shaking legs, and moved quickly to the living room. He grabbed a pinch of Floo powder from the mantle, threw it in the grate, and said as calmly as he could, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's office."

He stuck his head into the whirl of flames and waited for the spinning to stop. "Albus!" he called into the dimly lit, empty office. "DUMBLEDORE!"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my great-great grandson," said a sly voice out of Sirius' line of sight. "What brings you here so late, may I ask?"

Sirius gritted his teeth and ignored Phineas Nigellus. "Dumbledore!" he yelled again.

At last, the old wizard emerged from Sirius' right wearing a dark purple dressing gown. "Good morning, Sirius," he said calmly. "What can I do—"

"Remus is gone, it looks like there's been a struggle, have any of the charms or wards in your office gone off tonight?" Sirius asked in one breath.

Dumbledore did not answer, but crossed his office to a silver spindly object Sirius didn't recognize. He tapped it with his wand once and muttered something. After a few moments, he turned back to Sirius. "The wards seem to have been taken down. Just after eleven o'clock last night. Whoever was in your home seems to have known exactly how to bypass the security measures without alerting any of us."

Sirius didn't even fell himself fall back out of the fireplace. _This can't be happening,_ he thought desperately. _Not again._

* * *

Remus was trying hard to catch his breath. His chest felt as if someone had dropped the whole castle of Hogwarts onto it. If this kept up, he wouldn't last much longer.

"Tell me, Lupin," Malfoy hissed impatiently.

"No," Remus tried to say. It came out as a hard cough. Was that blood he tasted?

"You could make this easier on the both of us, werewolf. _Tell me how to get the stone__!_"

"NO!" Remus yelled as loud as he could; it was barely a whisper.

"Very well, you've brought this upon yourself," Malfoy said softly. "_Crucio_!"

Now Remus did scream. He screamed so loudly it was a wonder that his vocal chords didn't tear. But Remus was used to pain. Being a werewolf did sometimes have its advantages.

Malfoy jerked his wand back and stopped the curse. "Now, Lupin, what's more important: that stone or your precious Black and Potter? Because if you don't tell me how to get to the stone I will kill the both of them... slowly. I may even keep you alive long enough to witness it."

"You leave them alone, you bastard," Remus said with all the strength he could muster.

To his annoyance, Malfoy smirked. "So the mild-mannered professor is losing his temper. Black's had a bad influence on you, I see."

Malfoy's taunts were giving Remus strength and energy he didn't know he possessed. While the Death Eater continued with his taunts and threats, Remus made it to his knees and charged head first into his chest, pushing the both of them back into a wall. Caught off guard, and obviously out of practice with physical self-defense, Malfoy's wand flew from his hand ten feet away.

The second fight that night broke out between them with Remus punching and kicking every inch of Malfoy he could reach. His wand hadn't been seen since Malfoy teased him with it at the cottage, so Remus had to use other techniques. Techniques he had learned from Sirius and James.

After some time, Malfoy quit struggling. Breathing heavily, bleeding from many different places, Remus moved closer to check the Death Eater's pulse. His heart was still beating.

_Damn._

Remus reached into Malfoy's robes and found his own wand, thankfully, still intact. He bound Malfoy and shakily stood, summoning Malfoy's wand and stuck it in his jeans pocket. Remus whispered a communication spell he hadn't used since Hogwarts into the tip of his wand.

"Sirius Black," he rasped, turning his back to Malfoy.

The tip of his wand glowed a dark blue and shot a silver beam of light in front of him. Instantly he could see a round image of his living room. Sirius had his back to the image; he was speaking to a small group of what Remus figured were Aurors. One of the Aurors turned and pointed out the hologram.

Sirius spun around quickly, horror, relief, and concern evident on his face. "Remus! Where are you? Are you okay?" he said, speaking into his wand.

"I don't know where I am. Malfoy's here, unconscious. I'm going to try and Apparate the both of us out of here. I'll be back soon," Remus breathed into his own wand.

Sirius seemed to hesitate, but nodded. "Okay. Be careful, Moony. If you're not back here in thirty minutes, we'll do a locating spell."

Remus nodded, cut off the communication spell, and turned back to Malfoy.

"Dammit," he said loudly, his eyes going wide.

Malfoy was gone. How and where he went was anyone's guess. There had been no Apparition pop; Remus would have heard it.

For the first time since his arrival, Remus looked around his surroundings. He seemed to be in an abandoned Muggle warehouse. Muggle crates and machine were all around him. Maybe Malfoy broke the binding charm and was hiding somewhere?

Using his better judgment, Remus decided it was best to leave the warehouse and go home. He still had Malfoy's wand, and he didn't have the strength to fight anymore. His back, ribs, and jaw were throbbing with intense pain, and he was sure his nose had been broken.

Remus found the exit and limped through it discovering... nothing. The land before him was bare of any trees; the grass was dead from what he could see in the night light. Taking a deep breath, and thinking of how painful it would be to splinch himself now, Remus Apparated home.

He fell before the roaring fireplace to the soft carpet floor hard. He immediately heard footsteps and urgent voices all around him. His head was throbbing horribly from the energy it had taken to Apparate and all he wanted to do now was sleep.

A pair of arms grabbed his shoulders and gently turned him over to his back.

"We've got a location," Remus heard a female voice say.

Remus opened his eyes and saw the blurry image of Sirius examining him concernedly. Remus groaned. "Sirius, haven't we gone over what I like and don't like opening my eyes to?"

Sirius smiled slightly and backed away, giving Remus some breathing room. "You all right?" he asked, while the other Aurors Disapparated around them.

"No," Remus moaned.

"I'm taking you to Hogwarts," Sirius said, standing.

"Why?" Remus said, trying to frown. His muscles didn't want to work correctly.

"Because Pomfrey's there and it's safer than St. Mungo's," Sirius replied distractedly, looking for an object to use as a portkey.

"Malfoy..." Remus breathed, closing his eyes once more.

"We saw him disappear just before the communication spell closed. We tried to get a location locked on the spell, but couldn't get anything. When you Disapparated from wherever you were, we were finally able to get a location," Sirius explained. "I've got a whole team of Aurors searching the place now. And before you ask, Harry's fine. I sent Tonks and Anderson to keep an eye on the Burrow."

Remus tried to nod. "Wand... pocket..." he muttered.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but went back to Remus and knelt down. He felt around Remus' pocket and took the wand out. "Is this Malfoy's?" he asked, examining the black tube of wood.

"Yeah..."

"Here, touch this," Sirius said, pocketing the wand.

Remus blindly reached out, and with Sirius' assistance, touched what felt like the book he had been reading before.

_Good, I'll have something to read in the hospital wing,_ he thought vaguely.

"Three... Two... One..." Sirius muttered.

The two of them were pulled by their navels through a vast array of colors that made Remus' head spin. When they landed in the hospital wing, Remus turned his head away from Sirius and vomited.

"_Evanesco_," Sirius muttered. "Madam Pomfrey!"

Remus didn't remember much after that as he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"I do not think it safe for any of you to return to the cottage," Dumbledore said somberly.

Sirius leaned back in the chair and rubbed his hands over his face roughly. Two days without sleep was finally beginning to take its toll on the Auror. "Where do you suggest we go, then?" He regretted the question the moment it was out of his mouth.

Dumbledore merely raised his eyebrows.

Sirius groaned "No. There is no way in hell I am going there," he said bluntly. Dumbledore said nothing, but continued looking at Sirius over those damned half-moon spectacles. It was a look Sirius knew well. A look that told him there was no arguing in this situation. But he wouldn't be Sirius Black if he didn't argue. "How can you think that that... _place..._ is safer than anywhere? They all know where it is!"

"This is true, but they would never be able to enter it if there was a Fidelius Charm placed over it," Dumbledore said quietly.

The Fidelius Charm. How Sirius loathed it... It was part of the reason his life had been hell for years. Sirius shook his head tiredly, but he knew Dumbledore was right. "You'd be the Secret-Keeper?" Sirius asked wearily.

"I would."

Pulling at his long hair, Sirius recognized defeat. "All right, but Harry goes nowhere near that place until I know exactly what's in there."

Dumbledore inclined his head slightly. "He would be more than welcome here at Hogwarts for the time being."

Sirius nodded, stood, and left Dumbledore's office to go check on Remus in the hospital wing. He sighed heavily as he walked down the dark corridors of Hogwarts. The last place he wanted to go was the only one that was safe—or so Dumbledore seemed to think. But Number Twelve, Grimmuald Place had so many ancient spells and charms over it that it often made Sirius wonder if it would implode.

Ironically, that was what Sirius had hoped would happen to his childhood home.

On his way to the hospital wing, Sirius passed the stairwell leading to the dungeons. For a moment he thought about going down and releasing some of his frustrations on a certain Potions Master. His conscience, however—which sounded exactly like Remus—told him to wait for another time. Wondering when he'd gained a conscience, Sirius continued to his destination.

Upon his entrance, Sirius was relieved to note that Remus seemed completely cured. His best friend was sitting up in his hospital bed eating from a box of Bertie Bott's Beans and talking with Harry. For the briefest second, Sirius was thrown back to his Hogwarts days when he and James would come to visit Remus after the full moon.

"Hey, Sirius," Harry said when he spotted his godfather.

Sirius smiled. "Hey, Harry. When'd you get here?"

"Mr. Weasley brought me about half an hour ago," Harry replied.

Sirius nodded. "Remus told you what happened?"

"Yeah," Harry responded quietly, looking into his lap.

"What did Dumbledore say?" Remus asked, ruffling Harry's hair in a comforting manner. Harry smiled slightly.

"Well," Sirius said in a fake cheerful tone, "we can't go back to the cottage as Dumbledore has deemed it unsafe at the present time."

"What?" Remus and Harry asked loudly.

"Yeah, he wants us to go somewhere else for a while."

"Where?" Remus asked cautiously. He knew the look that Sirius had on his face, and he didn't like it one bit.

Sirius grinned humorlessly. "The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. Where else?"

"Please, for the love of all that is good in the world, tell me you're kidding," Remus groaned.

Sirius shook his head. "Nope. I'm going to recruit a few people to help me check it out and I'll probably have the new candidates help clean so it's at least somewhat inhabitable first, though. It's been eight years, and I don't want to even think about what's happened to it."

Remus nodded and popped a cherry flavored bean into his mouth. A sudden thought struck him; he hadn't thought about it once since the last time they'd been to the old house. "Is Kreacher still in the bathroom?" he asked curiously.

Sirius scowled, pouted more like. "I wish. Dumbledore went back after..." he glanced at Harry quickly, "well, after everyone was safe, and let him out."

"Ah," Remus said, trying not to laugh at Sirius' face.

Sirius conjured a chair with his wand and sat on the other side of Remus. Instantly, he let his head fall on the hospital bed. "Mmm... comfy..." he moaned aloud.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "When was the last time you slept, Padfoot?"

"No idea," Sirius mumbled into the crisp sheets.

"Maybe you should get some sleep before you do anything," Harry suggested.

Sirius raised his head to look over Remus and narrowed his eyes at Harry. "You're turning into him, you know that?" He jerked his head at Remus and let it fall back to the bed.

"Better be careful, Sirius. You wouldn't want Pomfrey to come in here and see you exhausted," Remus teased.

"Strangely enough, that's exactly what I want."

"I think you're about to get your wish," Harry muttered.

"Huh?"

"Sirius Black!" shrieked the unmistakable voice of Madam Poppy Pomfrey.

"Yes, Poppy?" Sirius said, turning his head to face the fuming nurse.

"Get into a bed this instant! I don't want to see you up until you've had a full eight hours sleep. Is that understood?" Pomfrey said sternly, one hand on her hip, one pointing to an empty hospital bed.

"Of course," Sirius muttered, standing from his chair and moving to the bed next to Remus.

"And you two," Pomfrey said, turning to Remus and Harry, "are not to disturb him."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," they said.

Pomfrey got Sirius situated in bed, checked Remus over for remaining injuries, and left for her office.

"Wow," Remus muttered.

"What?" Harry asked.

"It's just amazing the power she has over full grown wizards."

Sirius' snores filled the room moments later.

* * *

Remus walked alone to Dumbledore's office while Sirius slept and Harry visited Hagrid and Buckbeak. The stone gargoyle was open, allowing Remus to step onto the revolving staircase. He knocked on the office door twice and waited for it to open on its own accord.

McGonagall and Snape were already there with Dumbledore, waiting. They turned when Remus entered.

"How are you feeling, Remus?" McGonagall asked, conjuring a chair for Remus.

"Just fine, Minerva, thank you," Remus said, sitting next to her.

Dumbledore gazed at the three of them over his half-moon spectacles. Remus knew that the old man was waiting for him to speak, and Remus didn't feel like waiting for the small talk to commence.

"He wants the stone," Remus said quietly, looking Dumbledore in the eyes.

Dumbledore nodded. "I thought as much. The question is: How much does he already know?" he said, looking to Snape for an answer.

The look wasn't accusatory, merely interested. Snape looked back calmly—well, as calmly as Severus Snape ever could be—and softly said, "As far as I know, he does not know how to get to the stone. Unless of course Lupin told him, the stone remains safe."

"I didn't tell him anything, _Severus_," Remus said through gritted teeth.

"How did he know that Remus provided protection?" McGonagall asked, cutting off what would have surely been a rude reply from Snape.

"I do not believe he knew for sure who was providing protection for the stone. Perhaps he believed—and rightly so—that I trusted Remus enough to ask him for his help, and just happened to get lucky when Remus was captured," Dumbledore said.

_What he's really trying to say_, Remus thought dryly,_ is that Malfoy wants me dead and as an added bonus found out that I know how to get to the stone. This day's getting better and better..._

"The question now is what do we do?" Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair, watching Fawkes sleep.

* * *

Remus returned to the hospital wing hours later feeling much more depressed that he'd felt in years. In the end, Dumbledore believed it best to destroy the stone. He had already discussed the matter with Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, and they decided it was time. True, they would die, but it was as Dumbledore said to his colleagues and Remus: _Death is but the next great adventure._

Sighing, he pushed open the hospital doors and found Kingsley sitting beside Sirius' bed. The two Aurors were talking quietly.

"Hello, Kingsley," Remus said, approaching the bed.

"Hey, Lupin. You look better," Kingsley said.

"Thanks. What's going on?"

"You remember Bertha Jorkins, Moony?" Sirius asked. Remus nodded. "She was supposed to be back from vacation two weeks ago. No one knows where she is."


	8. Eight

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Eight_

"This is it, huh?"

"Yep."

"Not really what I expected..."

"Nope."

"You want to go in?"

"Nope."

Tonks laughed. "Come on, you're supposed to be the big bad Head Auror. You can't be afraid of a house. We're supposed to be checking this place out."

Sirius sighed, but led Tonks to the front door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. He took out his wand and tapped the serpent-shaped doorknocker twice. The locks behind the door clicked, signaling the door was unlocked, and Sirius pushed it open. The two Aurors stepped into the dark dusty entranceway. The door closed with a soft crack on its own, causing them both to jump significantly.

"Kreacher should be around here somewhere. Watch your step. And I recommend staying away from the walls," Sirius said quietly.

Not two seconds later, Tonks fell with a thud and a muttered curse. The troll's leg Sirius had always hated had gotten in her way.

"HALF-BLOODS! ABOMINATIONS!" screamed Sirius' mother from her portrait.

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered. He had hoped to get through this visit without hearing that voice. He ran to the portrait and pulled the hangings shut. Once he had silenced his mother, Sirius went to help Tonks up from the floor.

"Who was that?" Tonks asked, wide-eyed.

"That was your great-aunt. Care for an introduction?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe another time..."

Sirius led Tonks through the house cautiously and down to the kitchen basement. Sirius lit a few lamps with his wand allowing them to see better. It looked exactly the same as it had eight years ago. The empty firewhiskey bottles were still on the kitchen table, and a few chairs were still overturned.

Sirius shook his head. "Damn house-elf."

"So what now?" Tonks asked, examining the kitchen.

"First things first... Find Kreacher," Sirius said. "I don't recommend us being separated, either. You've never been here and I don't want to be here. So let's stick together."

Tonks nodded.

They began their search on the second floor. They opened all of the bedroom and closet doors, checking behind furniture that allowed itself to be moved. They continued up to the third landing going through the same motions and still turning up with no house-elf.

An hour later, Sirius and Tonks found themselves before the attic door.

"Wand at the ready," Sirius said in a business-like tone. "No telling what's up there."

Tonks obeyed and followed Sirius up the stairs. "_Lumos_," they both whispered.

Sirius immediately heard the unmistakable mutterings of Kreacher. "Master has returned to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. Kreacher wonders what filth he has brought with him this time. Werewolves and crooks, no doubt. Nasty half-breeds."

"That's enough, Kreacher. Show yourself," Sirius said firmly.

From a corner, behind a box, the wrinkled house-elf emerged.

"That has got to be the ugliest house-elf I have ever seen," Tonks muttered under her breath.

Sirius choked on his laughter. Tonks grinned. "Kreacher, what are you doing?" Sirius asked.

"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf muttered, bowing ridiculously low to the ground.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the cobwebbed ceiling and the two inches of dust on the floor. "In a few days, Kreacher, we're going to be staying here for a while. You are to stay out of the way unless otherwise ordered. Is that clear?" Sirius said.

Kreacher remained bowed. Sirius half-hoped he'd pulled his back out and couldn't stand up again. "Kreacher lives to serve the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black," he said. "Even if it is full of half-breeds and blood traitors."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Tonks, we need to get back to work."

Tonks continued to stare at Kreacher in disbelief until Sirius pulled her out of the attic by her arm.

* * *

Remus and Harry stepped out of a Muggle ice cream shop in London slurping chocolate shakes out of cups.

"So what do you want to do now?" Remus asked, attempting to swallow the thick ice cream.

_Go home..._ Harry thought. "I don't know. Can we go to Diagon Alley?"

Remus thought for a moment. "I don't see why not. There are a few books I'd like to pick up, anyway."

"I was thinking Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"Of course you were. Living with Sirius most of your life has to have had some effect on you."

Harry smiled, but it faltered a moment later. "Are we still going to the Cup?" he asked hesitantly.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know. I just thought with everything that's been going on..." Harry trailed off, looking into a Muggle shoe shop.

"We're still going. Sirius needs a break from all this. So do I, to be truthful," Remus said.

Harry nodded. Remus noticed he had grown quieter throughout the day. Normally during a trip to London he didn't stop talking. Something was weighing on his mind, but Remus knew better than to ask; Harry was just like James when it came to discussing things that bothered him. The more he was pushed to share, the more he withdrew. Harry would come to them when he was ready.

Remus sighed and led Harry to a Muggle bus. They took their seats behind a teenage boy the size of a baby whale and a woman with no neck. Remus was sure she had a mustache.

"But Aunt Marge—" the boy whined.

"Not now, Dudley," the woman snapped.

Remus raised an eyebrow. Dudley... where had he heard that name before? "No way…" he breathed a few moments later.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Remus said, shaking his head, staring at the pair in front of them. Harry hadn't recognized his cousin, and Remus wasn't about to point him out.

Sirius and Remus had finally brought themselves to tell Harry what had happened to his aunt and uncle. Harry wasn't too upset to learn of their deaths as far as they could tell, but Remus knew Harry hadn't wanted them to die, no matter what the Dursleys had done to him.

They rode the bus through London and got off at a stop a few blocks from the Leaky Cauldron. Remus and Harry tossed their empty cups into a trash bin and began to walk.

They entered the Leaky Cauldron to find it strangely empty for a Monday afternoon.

"Afternoon, Remus," called Tom the Innkeeper.

"Hello, Tom. How are you?" Remus called back.

"Fine, just fine. Out for a little shopping, are you?"

"Just browsing a little. We'll see you later."

Harry led the way out the backdoor of the pub into the small courtyard. Remus touched the stones with his wand that would reveal Diagon Alley.

* * *

Sirius sat behind his desk in Auror Headquarters nearly pulling his hair out from stress. Magical Forensics had reported back with the results of the footprint found at Azkaban. It was found to indeed belong to one of the guards of the prison. The mystery, however, was where the rest of the footprints had gone...

The result of the questioning of the Azkaban prisoners was just as frustrating. Even after using Veritaserum, Kingsley couldn't get one single clue out of the mouths of any of them. They claimed to not even know who Lucius Malfoy was—which was bull, Sirius knew.

The team of Aurors sent to the Muggle warehouse Malfoy had taken Remus was discovered to be void of all magical traces. Not so much as a _Lumos_ spell could be detected. _How_ did Malfoy disappear? Apparition would have been detected, and there was no one in the room beside Remus and Malfoy.

Unless somebody pulled Malfoy out with an Invisibility Cloak...

But that still couldn't explain how Malfoy was able to Disapparate from Azkaban with the wards in place, or how Malfoy crossed the wards surrounding the cottage without being detected. Dumbledore had said that the wards were taken down... But the only ones who were supposed to have that authority were Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, Sirius, and Remus.

Sirius groaned loudly and pulled at his hair again—at this rate he'd be bald in five years time. The only lead they had at the moment was Malfoy's wand. Even that didn't do them much good; they had done Priori Incantatem on the wand already—the last spell the wand had done was the Cruciatus Curse.

"Hey, Sirius," Kingsley said, walking into Sirius' office without knocking.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but continued looking down at his desk. "What?" he grumbled.

"I sent a team of ten to Number Twelve to start the cleaning. I put Tonks in charge."

Sirius grunted in understanding.

"I've also got the team getting ready for the Cup next week."

Sirius grunted.

"Oh, and Minister Bones just passed a legislation stating that Barty Crouch, Cornelius Fudge, and Delores Umbridge will be taking over the DMLE and the Auror squads. Their first order of business is to send all of the Aurors to catch rabid nifflers in the Alps."

Sirius stopped mid-grunt and looked up. "What?"

Kingsley grinned. "Knew that'd get you." He laughed. "Go back to Hogwarts and get some rest. There's not much we can do on the Malfoy case until after the Cup, anyway."

Sirius made to argue that he had too much to do, but changed his mind. He could use a long hot bath and spoiling from the house-elves. "Okay," he sighed. "Okay, okay, okay, I'm going. See you tomorrow, Kingsley."

"Bye," Kingsley waved as Sirius Flooed to Hogwarts.

* * *

Sirius, Remus, and Harry sat comfortably in front of a roaring fire in their private quarters at Hogwarts. Remus was reading a book, Harry was shining his Firebolt, and Sirius was watching them thoughtfully.

His family.

Fifteen years ago, before Harry had even been born, Sirius would not have believed his life would turn out like it had. He was never even sure he would live to see his twenty-fifth birthday, let alone his thirty-sixth, which would be coming up in four months. Things had gotten so bleak and miserable Sirius hadn't been sure he'd wanted to live anymore.

But that day in Azkaban, when Dumbledore and Remus came to hear the truth, Sirius found new reason to breathe. Without Remus and Harry, Sirius would still be in Azkaban, fighting for his sanity.

Now he was helping to raise his best friend's son. It amazed Sirius how quickly Harry had grown into the teenager Lily and James had hoped he would become. Brave, smart, funny, talented, powerful, and not just a little stubborn. Yes, Harry James Potter was exactly like his parents, and Sirius couldn't be happier, or more proud, with the result.

"Padfoot!" Remus yelled, smacking Sirius in the back of his head.

"Ow! What, Remus?"

"We need to get some sleep. We're supposed to meet Arthur at dawn," Remus said.

"Oh, right. We have everything ready?" Sirius asked, stretching his arms.

"Yeah. I've got to pack my bag, but Harry's got his stuff ready," Remus replied.

Sirius nodded. "He's had his stuff ready for this for months."

Remus chuckled. "True. Well, I'm off to bed. Night, Sirius."

"Night, Remus."

* * *

Remus felt as if he had just closed his eyes when Sirius was shaking him awake.

"Moony," Sirius whined. "Get up!"

"Go away, Sirius," Remus groaned, turning away from his friend and burying his head in his nice, cool pillow.

Sirius sighed. "Don't make me do it, Moony. You know I will."

"Huh?" Remus grumbled.

The next thing he knew, a stream of ice cold water was hitting him in the back. Remus jumped out of bed.

"Dammit, Sirius! That's cold," Remus yelled.

"I warned you," his friend said casually, ceasing the water from shooting out of his wand. "You didn't believe me."

Remus glared. "Get out so I can get ready."

Sirius smirked and left the bedroom. "Next destination: Harry's room."

Remus rolled his eyes as Sirius closed the door, and wiped his sopping wet hair from his eyes. Grumbling about juvenile, insensitive best friends, Remus gathered his clothes and went into the bathroom for a hot shower.

* * *

Forty minutes later, Sirius, Remus, and Harry stepped out of the Weasley fireplace puffy-eyed and yawning.

"_Accio_!_ Accio_!_ Accio_!"

Molly Weasley was summoning something out of the pockets of Fred's and George's jeans and jackets.

"Mum, we spent months developing those!" One of the twins yelled.

"A fine way to spend your time! No wonder you didn't get more O.W.L.s," Molly said furiously. She turned and spotted the three guests standing in front of her fireplace. All three of them took a cautionary, simultaneous step back. "Oh, hello, boys," Molly said, breathing heavily, but her expression softening.

"Good morning, Molly," Remus said warily.

"I've taken the liberty of packing you some breakfast. I didn't know if you had the time to eat this morning." Molly picked up three plain brown paper bags and handed one each to Sirius, Remus, and Harry.

"Thank you, Molly," Sirius said.

"Hey, Harry," Hermione said, following Ginny down the stairs.

"Hey, Hermione, Ginny." Harry smiled at the girls.

"Ron should be down in a second," Ginny said, taking some toast from the kitchen table.

"Thanks," Harry said, looking to see what Molly had packed for him. He took out a giant blueberry muffin and began to eat it.

Arthur walked out of the kitchen wearing a large golf sweater and old jeans. "What do you think of my Muggle clothes, boys?"

Sirius tried not to laugh. "Very good, Arthur."

Arthur smiled widely. "You three didn't do too bad yourselves, I see."

Remus looked down at his collared shirt and jeans, then at Harry's t-shirt and shorts, and Sirius' button-down silk blue shirt and jeans. He smiled and nodded at Arthur.

"Well, you lot better be going," Molly said as Ron stepped down from the last stair, rubbing at his eyes. "Percy, Bill, and Charlie will meet you there; they're Apparating," Molly added to Remus.

"Sounds great. Thank you for the breakfast, Molly," Remus said.

"Not at all," Molly said fondly, attempting to flatten Harry's hair a bit as he walked past her.

The Weasleys, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, and Harry headed out the back door of the Burrow and started up to Stoatshead Hill.

"What time's the portkey leave, Arthur?" Sirius called.

Arthur looked down at his Muggle wristwatch. "5:06. We've got about fifteen minutes."

The reached the top of the hill and began searching for the portkey.

"Over here, Arthur!" called a rough voice.

Sirius turned to see Amos Diggory and a boy that could only be his son holding up an old boot.

They moved to greet the Diggorys—Amos shook hands with Arthur and Sirius, but hesitated with Remus. "Don't I know you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Professor Lupin!" Cedric Diggory greeted.

Remus smiled and shook hands with his former student. "Hello, Cedric."

"Lupin? Aren't you the werewolf?" Amos asked boldly.

Sirius rolled his eyes and was about to speak, but Remus cut him off. "Yes, I am. It's a great pleasure to meet you, Mr. Diggory. Cedric was one of my best students," he said calmly. Sirius looked at him disbelievingly. How could he be so calm around people like this?

"Right," Amos said stiffly. "These all yours, Arthur?" He gestured to the kids.

"No, no," Arthur said, glancing at Remus out of the corner of his eye. "Just the redheads. This is Hermione Granger; she's staying with us. And Harry Potter; he's Sirius' and Remus'."

Amos shot a quick glance at Harry's scar. "Of course. Cedric's told us all about you. Played you in Quidditch. Says you're a decent flyer."

Harry forced a smile. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Well, we better get ready; we've got about thirty seconds," Arthur said, clapping his hands together.

Sirius stood between Remus and Amos, hoping to "accidentally" hit the latter with his elbow during the trip.

"Three... Two... One..." Arthur muttered.

It was cramped with eleven people holding onto one boot, but when they were jerked by their navels, nobody had time to complain. Sirius landed hard, his knees nearly buckling, on wet grass moments later. He automatically reached out across the group to catch Harry before he fell—old habits are hard to break.

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill!"


	9. Nine

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Nine_

Sirius led the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry, and Remus down a path to a Muggle man outside of a cabin.

"Mr. Roberts?" Sirius called to the man.

"Aye, and you would be?" Roberts questioned, eyeing the large party shrewdly.

"Sirius Black. One tent, booked a few nights ago. And Arthur Weasley, two tents," Sirius said.

"Right," Roberts said, looking at a list on his door. "Just the one night for all of you?"

"Yes," Sirius answered.

"And you'll be paying now?"

"Absolutely," Sirius said, taking his Muggle money from his pocket, and trying to hide Remus helping Arthur with his own money.

The Muggle began talking of strange people—weirdoes, he called them—trying to pay him with huge gold coins. Sirius laughed while he reached for his wand—the man would need to be obliviated. Before he had a chance, however, a wizard in plus-fours, whose name Sirius couldn't recall, Apparated onto the scene and sharply said, "_Obliviate!_"

Arthur and Sirius took their change from the dazed Muggle and followed the other wizard to the gate of the campsite. He was grumbling about Ludo Bagman not helping matters with the campsite manager.

They finally reached their campsite. "Perfect!" Arthur said, beaming at the signs that said "Weezly" and "Black."

"At least they got someone's name right," Remus muttered.

Sirius grinned. "Well, come on, kids! Let's get our tents setup!"

"No magic, now, we're doing this the Muggle way," Arthur said, still beaming.

"Do we have to?" Sirius whined, sticking his wand back in his belt.

"Oh, come on, Sirius. Afraid of a little manual labor?" Remus teased.

"Shut up, Moony."

Remus grinned and turned to the kids. "Why don't you lot grab us some water and explore a bit. We'll take care of the tents."

The kids nodded, grabbed a few buckets, and headed off.

The real reason Remus had sent them off was because there would probably be a lot of swearing from Sirius, and though Harry had heard the majority of it, Remus was sure Molly wouldn't be too happy with her children hearing such language. Sure enough, Remus turned around and found Sirius tangled up in the canvas and ropes.

"Is that how you're supposed to do it?" Arthur asked skeptically, watching Sirius struggle to free himself.

"No, it's not," Remus said, trying to contain his laughter.

"A little help, please?" Sirius called from the ground he had just fallen onto.

"Stay still." Remus chuckled, trying to free his hopeless friend from the confines of the evil tent.

Twenty minutes later, Remus had single-handedly setup both of Arthur's tents, and the tent for himself, Sirius, and Harry.

Arthur and Sirius had sat on a log, starting a fire, and were watching Remus with much interest. "Well, our work's done," Sirius said, clapping his hands together. "Breakfast!"

Remus raised an eyebrow as Sirius entered their tent. Arthur chuckled, thanked Remus for the help, and headed into his own tent.

Remus followed Sirius' path into the tent and nodded in satisfaction. It was as large as the cottage on the inside with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a good-sized sitting room. Sirius was lounging on the battered brown sofa eating an apple.

"Nice tent, Moony. Where'd you get it?" he asked thickly between bites.

"It belonged to my parents. We used to use it when I was a kid when we'd go on trips in the French mountains," Remus answered, smiling reminiscently.

Sirius let him think about his childhood for a few moments before sitting up. "We should take Harry camping sometime. Think he'd like that?"

Remus nodded. "Definitely. As much as he loves going out into the forest? He'd love it."

"We should do that next summer," Sirius said thoughtfully.

"We're back!" they heard Harry call minutes later.

"In here, Harry!" Remus called.

Harry entered the tent, not at all phased by its size and sat next to Sirius.

"See anything interesting?" Remus asked.

"Well, the Irish have covered their tents with shamrocks, and the Bulgarians have posters of Viktor Krum covering theirs. We saw an old wizard in a woman's dressing gown, and a few people from school. Oliver Wood's playing for Puddlemere now," Harry said.

"Really? Good for him," Remus said.

"Excited, Harry?" Sirius asked, grinning at his godson.

Harry grinned back. "Yeah! It's going to be great!"

"Well, come on, boys, let's go socialize," Remus said, leading the two of them outside.

Bill, Charlie, and Percy had arrived and were gathered around a fire with the other Weasleys and Hermione.

"Breakfast," Arthur said, holding out a plate of sausages.

Harry sat between Ron and Hermione and began to eat. Remus and Sirius sat next to Bill and Charlie, and immediately regretted it. Percy, who sat on the other side of Bill, was going on and on about Barty Crouch and how wonderful he was. Sirius wanted to correct young Percy's views on his boss, but Remus' sharp elbow in his ribs deterred him before he even got his mouth all the way open. Ludo Bagman joined them not long after for a cup of tea, and took bets on the match.

"Ten Galleons on the Irish, then, Sirius? Smashing!" Bagman smiled.

"Heard anything about Bertha Jorkins, Ludo?" Sirius asked, taking a slip of parchment from Ludo.

"Not a word. Woman's gone off without a trace, she has. Memory like a leaky cauldron," Bagman said with a frown.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance. The Bertha Jorkins they knew had an excellent memory, especially when it came to rumors. She knew everything that went on at Hogwarts, and had even caused some trouble for Sirius in his fifth year. He'd been on a date with a girl out behind the greenhouses, and Bertha had threatened to tell a girl he'd just broken up with the day before. Sirius had used a boil curse on her. She'd told the other girl, anyway, once she'd gotten out of the hospital wing, and continued to tell people for a month afterwards.

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered, looking over Bagman's shoulder.

"What?" Bagman asked, following Sirius' line of sight. "Barty! How are you old, man?"

"Ludo. I've been looking all over for you. Hello, Arthur," Crouch said. He spotted Sirius and narrowed his eyes."Black," he growled.

"Crouch," Sirius growled back.

Crouch gave Sirius a dirty look and began discussing business with Bagman and Arthur while Sirius glared. Remus watched his fists clench and unclench as if he was just aching to hit the old man. He wondered how the two of them worked in the same building day in and day out.

Sirius' feelings towards the Head of International Magical Cooperation weren't for nothing; Crouch, after all, had been part of the reason Sirius had been imprisoned in Azkaban for five years. The former DMLE head had ordered Sirius be sent to Azkaban without a trial, and Sirius probably wouldn't ever forgive the other wizard for that.

Bagman's cheerful mood nearly cost him; he started speaking about something top secret going on at Hogwarts, and Crouch suddenly stood, stating they had to leave.

"See you all in a bit, then," Bagman said cheerily to everyone. "You're in the top box with me." He nodded to Crouch, and both Disapparated with a _pop_.

"What's happening at Hogwarts, Sirius?" Harry asked curiously.

"Nothing," Sirius replied airily, hiding his grin in his teacup.

Near dusk, the kids went off to buy souvenirs while the adults readied themselves for the match. Harry returned with a pair of Omnioculars and an Irish hat covered in shamrocks. He bought Sirius and Remus an Irish rosette and a program each.

A deep gong sounded in the distance signaling it was time to head out. Excitement filled the air as Sirius and Remus followed the group to the stadium. "When was the last time you went to a Quidditch World Cup?" Sirius asked Remus, already knowing the answer.

Remus smiled. "After graduation," he said.

Sirius smiled back and nodded. The year they had left Hogwarts, the Marauders traveled together by broomstick and train to Spain. England won that match, and the boys had had the time of their lives. They were drunk most of the time from the firewhiskey Sirius had brought along, and ended up with the worst hangovers ever when they returned home.

"This one will be just as good," Remus said. "Especially since it's Harry's first."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, watching Harry laugh and joke loudly with his friends.

They entered the top box and sat in the front row. A house-elf was sitting behind them, its head buried in its hands. Bagman entered not long after accompanied by Minister Bones. The Minister spotted Sirius and Arthur, and made her way over to say hello. Sirius quickly introduced all the children to her. She was one of the few people who didn't get excited when she saw Harry. She had always treated Harry just as she would anyone else, something Harry appreciated very much.

"Ready when you are, Minister," Bagman said jovially.

"Go ahead, Ludo," Bones said, getting comfortable next to the Bulgarian Minister of Magic.

The team mascots entered the pitch and Remus was laughing harder than he had in a long time when Sirius, Harry, and Ron looked ready to dive from the box during the Veelas' performance.

"Not funny," muttered a very red in the face Sirius.

"Actually, Padfoot, it really is," Remus responded through his laughter.

* * *

The match turned out to be one of the best Sirius had ever seen. Ireland won, but Viktor Krum had caught the snitch. Sirius was quite pleased to see how much Harry had enjoyed it. They made their way back to the campsite recapping some of the better plays made during the game, and Harry expressed his enthusiasm to tryout the Wronski Feint. Inside the Weasley boys' tent, they enjoyed hot cocoa as they laughed and joked. Only when Ginny fell asleep at the table and spilled her cup to the floor did Arthur decide to call it a night.

Sirius and Remus led an exhausted but thrilled, Harry back to their tent. "You two take the bedrooms; I'll take the sofa," Sirius said tiredly. "Tomorrow we go to Grimmuald Place."

"You mean it's ready?" Harry asked after he had changed into his pajamas. Sirius noted his godson wasn't didn't exactly sound thrilled about the move.

"As ready as it'll ever be," Sirius muttered. "Night, boys."

"Night," Remus and Harry answered.

* * *

Two hours later, Sirius lay awake staring at the top of the tent. For some reason, he couldn't get comfortable. He tossed and turned without any results. He sighed and watched the leprechauns fly over head.

Just as he began to finally drift off, the noises of celebration turned to fearful screams and chaos. Sirius sat straight up and grabbed his wand from the floor next to him. The screams were growing louder. He got off the sofa and ran to Remus' room. His friend was already dressed, his wand in hand.

Without a word, Remus went to wake Harry while Sirius went outside. Arthur and the rest of the Weasley boys were up and dressed. Bill, Charlie, and Percy had their sleeves rolled up, ready for action.

Harry was ushered outside of the tent by Remus just as Ginny and Hermione joined the group. Looking around at the running crowds around them, Arthur instructed all of the younger kids to head into the forest until someone came to find them.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, still dressed in his pajamas with a jacket covering him.

"I don't know. Just stick with them, okay?" Sirius said, trying to remain calm. "You'll be fine."

Harry nodded and followed his friends.

"Come on," Sirius said to the others, still watching his godson run off through the crowds of panicked people.

With Sirius in the lead, the wizards headed for the commotion. The source was obvious as they grew nearer: High in the sky were four people, Muggles, being used as puppets by a crowd below. The large group of witches and wizards controlling them were in white masks.

"Death Eaters...?" Remus whispered in disbelief.

Sirius nodded. "Let's go."

Sirius pushed through the crowd of Ministry workers and found his way to the front. Kingsley and Tonks were waiting for him.

"We don't want to attack because we don't want the Muggles to fall," Kingsley called over the noise.

Sirius nodded. "Okay. Kingsley, you, Tonks, Remus, and Arthur get your wands on the Muggles. Get ready to float them over to safety. I'll find the rest of the Aurors and get this lot under control."

"Right," Kingsley said. He, Tonks, Remus, and Arthur held their wands at the ready.

Sirius pulled the other Weasley boys to the edge of the crowd. "You three stand here. If any of the Death Eaters come this way, stun and bind them. Got it?"

"Got it," Bill, Charlie, and Percy said.

Sirius ran off again and located a group of Aurors obviously waiting for instructions. He quietly directed them into position; the Death Eaters weren't paying him any attention. Once he was satisfied that everything was ready, he moved closer to the masked wizards.

"Oy!" he yelled. A few heads turned. "You're all under arrest by the power of the Minister of Magic!" Just as Sirius expected, a few of them laughed. "NOW!" he yelled. From every angle, spells and hexes flew into the crowd of Death Eaters. For a split second, the Muggles looked as if they would fall, but the next moment, they were floating to safety over the battle that had erupted.

Sirius was hit in the eye by a fist, and he automatically reached out. He gripped an arm tightly and twisted. A painful cry sounded as Sirius heard the crack of bones being broken.

Before he could bind the Death Eater who had struck him, an emerald green light began to glow in the distant sky. For a moment, the battle stopped. Everybody, Death Eaters and Ministry officials alike, stared at the green skull with the snake protruding from its mouth.

Noise and chaos erupted louder than ever. Apparition _pop_s sounded all around Sirius. Terrified screams, running...

"Shit..." Sirius muttered. He glanced over and spotted Remus and Arthur just before they, too, Disapparated. He looked around him, all the Death Eaters were gone. "Shit!" he said louder.

"Sirius!" called a voice.

Sirius swung around and spotted Tonks running towards him.

"We got the Muggles down. The Obliviators are taking care of them now," Tonks panted. "Remus, Arthur, and Kingsley went to see where the Dark Mark came from."

"Right." Sirius sighed. "Come on, back to our tent. Let's get you cleaned up." He was looking at a long gash on Tonks' shoulder.

"I'm fine," she insisted without much force.

"Right, right, you're fine, I know," Sirius muttered distractedly as he looked around for the Weasley boys. "Bill! Charlie! Percy!" he called.

"Over here, Sirius!" called the oldest Weasley child. Sirius pulled Tonks by the elbow to the redheads.

"Let's get you all back to the tent," he said to the boys. "We can wait for Arthur, Remus, and the kids there." There were no arguments as the Weasleys and Tonks followed Sirius through the crowd of people.

All around them, tents had caught fire, and some were trampled. Luckily, their tents were left alone. As they approached, Sirius spotted three more redheads running towards them.

Ginny reached them first and hugged her older brothers. Sirius looked over Fred and George's shoulders for the other three.

"Are you lot all right?" Charlie asked, pulling back from Ginny for a good look.

"We're fine," Fred said. "But we lost the others in the woods."

"You lost them?" Sirius asked with wide eyes. "How did you lose them?" He had sudden visions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione being tortured by Death Eaters.

_Stop it! _he told himself firmly.

"We were running and we got separated," George said.

Sirius sighed. "All right, everyone inside. They'll be back soon..." he said, hoping what he was saying was true. He reminded himself that Remus was out there as well. Hopefully, _he'd_ find Harry and his friends before anyone else did.

Sirius helped Tonks heal her cut and headed back out of the tent to wait for the others. In the distance, he spotted them. Though it was dark outside, the fires from the tents illuminated them. They all looked all right, though Arthur seemed very perturbed.

"Fred, George, and Ginny are inside," Sirius told Arthur. He nodded his thanks and headed inside to see his children.

"All right, Remus, Harry?" Sirius called as he approached his family.

"We're fine," Remus said quietly. "You?"

"Fine. Let's get inside," Sirius said, ushering his family into the Weasley tent. He could spot the reporters approaching in the distance.

Remus, Harry, and Sirius sat around the Weasleys, Hermione, and Tonks, and exchanged stories. Remus and Arthur—with the help of Harry, Ron, and Hermione—explained the occurrences in the woods.

"Wait. Let me get this straight," Sirius said over Percy's voice. "Barty Crouch's _house-elf_ had Harry's wand?" The others nodded. "And she was the only one in the trees when Crouch went to look?" More nods. Sirius sat back in his chair in deep thought.

"What was going on with that skull thing?" Ron asked after a few minutes.

Sirius exchanged a look with Remus and Arthur. Before any of them could answer, Hermione spoke up, "I told you, it was You-Know-Who's sign."

"Hasn't been seen in eight years," Sirius muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

Ron still didn't understand the big deal. "Ron," Remus said patiently. "All of you..." He looked around at the younger kids. "You don't know. The Dark Mark was only seen when Vold—er—_You-Know-Who_ killed. The last time it was seen..." He trailed off looking at Sirius.

"The last time it was seen cause a lot of commotion," the Auror said briskly. "This will, too. Look, it's been a long night. I say we all get back to bed. Arthur, we can walk the girls to their tent. Tonks, you can stay with us for the night."

Arthur nodded. "Thank you. I'll see if I can get us an early Portkey out of here in the morning." He glanced at his watch. "I take that back; later this morning."

Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Tonks said good night to the Weasley boys, led Hermione and Ginny to their tent, and said good night to them.

Inside their own tent, no one slept. Remus gave Tonks his bedroom, and she headed in there after a few hours. Remus, Sirius, and Harry sat together on the sofa, deep in thought.

"When was the last time the Dark Mark was seen?" Harry asked quietly, looking directly at Sirius.

Sirius looked in his godson's eyes for a moment and nodded. Harry was old enough to understand. "Not long after you came to live with me and Remus. It was my second day back or something at the Ministry. Kingsley and I took a portkey to a Muggle neighborhood, your aunt and uncle's old neighborhood. The Dark Mark was above their house."

"Malfoy did it..." Harry said, connecting the information.

"Yeah."

"Who was it this time?"

"We don't know, Harry," Remus said, shaking his head. "But don't worry about it right now. Go get some sleep."

Harry said good night to his guardians and went into his bedroom.

"Did Harry have his wand when we left the top box?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Don't know. I asked him on the way back. He said he didn't check."

Sirius nodded. "No elf could have conjured that mark, Remus."

"I know."

"It's going to be a long week." Sirius sighed.

Remus snorted. "Longer than last week, you mean?"

"Definitely."


	10. Ten

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Ten_

A week after the events at the Quidditch World Cup, Harry returned to Hogwarts. Sirius had been stuck at the Ministry dealing with Howlers, and irate witches and wizards complaining about "lax security." Needless to say, Sirius hadn't been in the best mood recently.

The Dark Mark that appeared above the trees at the Cup graced the cover of the _Daily Prophet_ for days after. Rita Skeeter, still stuck on thinking Sirius was a Death Eater in disguise, blamed everything on the Head Auror. Kingsley Shacklebolt had actually forcefully removed the reporter from Auror Headquarters no less than ten times over the past week.

But things had gotten stranger and more stressful. The morning Harry was to return to school, Sirius received a Firecall from Arthur Weasley about retired Auror Alastor Moody. Mad-Eye had "heard" an intruder at his home and caused dustbins to fly across the yard. Arthur had called Sirius because the younger wizard knew Moody well.

Sirius arrived on the scene and surprised everyone present by arresting Moody after questioning his predecessor. Some things he'd said hadn't really matched up to Mad-Eye's past. He told reporters on the front yard it was for the paranoid old Auror's own safety. Back at the Ministry, Sirius and Kingsley threw Moody into a holding cell. Even Kingsley was questioning his boss' motives. Sirius had performed a charm on Moody and had gotten some odd results from it. He told Kingsley to watch Mad-Eye for an hour.

The hour passed, and Kingsley was still completely confused. Moody was growing annoyed and demanding to know why he had been placed under arrest. Sirius would not answer.

And then, right before their very eyes, things began to change. Moody's gray grizzled hair began to shorten and turn a straw color. Moody's wooden leg fell out of its spot, making room for a real leg. The magical eye that made many people more wary of him than they already were was pushed from its socket with a sickening sound by a real eye.

"Bloody hell," Kingsley whispered, staring at Barty Crouch Junior shivering in the corner of the holding cell.

Sirius didn't say a word; he stunned Crouch and Apparated back to Moody's home. An intense search began through the house for the real Alastor Moody. Dumbledore had even been called in. By mid-afternoon, Head Auror and Headmaster discovered Moody at the bottom of a magical trunk. Dumbledore took him to Hogwarts; he was to start his new teaching job that day. Sirius returned to the Ministry, and was met by a confused and slightly annoyed Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"What the hell is going on?" Kingsley practically shouted when Sirius entered.

"Keep your voice down. Go find Barty Crouch; I want him here when I do this," Sirius said to his second in command. "And Bones, too; she'll want to see this," he said as an afterthought as Kingsley left.

Sirius stared through the bars of the cell at the crumpled body of a man he thought was long dead. He had seen the dementors bury the kid's body outside of Azkaban.

There was no real explanation as to why Sirius had brought the fake Moody into the Ministry that morning. He noticed something was off while he and Arthur questioned him about the intrusion the night before. His initial reasoning for making the arrest was to question Moody further, but when he'd performed a basic spell to test Mad-Eye's state of health, the results had shown that Mad-Eye was as healthy as a thirty-year-old man.

Kingsley returned half an hour later with Bones and an irate Crouch on his heels.

"What's all this about?" Crouch shouted as he spotted Sirius.

"Actually, we were hoping you could tell us, Barty," Sirius said calmly. "Good afternoon, Minister." Bones raised an eyebrow. She knew that look on Sirius' face quite well.

Kingsley led Crouch to the holding cell and forced him to look at his son. In an instant, all the color in Crouch Senior's face disappeared. He started to stammer and stutter, trying to appear surprised at his son's appearance. Kingsley noticed Sirius had a strange sense of satisfaction on his face.

With the use of Veritaserum, the truth began to come out. How Crouch and his late wife had broken their son out of Azkaban with the use of Polyjuice Potion. The younger Crouch had been under the Imperius Curse for years. By the end, they had enough to put Crouch away for life.

Crouch Junior would go back to Azkaban and be under constant surveillance of the dementors for the rest of his natural life. They did gain much needed information from the prisoner. Like the fact that Lord Voldemort would rise within the year, though they took that with a grain of salt. He wasn't able to tell them the location of the Dark Lord; apparently, Malfoy had taken his master into hiding. The plan they were going to use was to get Harry Potter into the Triwizard Tournament, get him to win, and use the cup as a portkey to send the boy to Voldemort. Hearing this, Sirius was once again glad he was an Auror; otherwise, he never would have had that information. He was close to beating both Crouches to a pulp, but Kingsley was there to keep him from doing so.

Bones ordered them both to be sent to Azkaban until a trial would be held for Crouch Senior. Sirius was more than happy to escort them.

A press conference was held later that night to explain the turn of events. The reactions were worse than the night Sirius was announced innocent and free. None of them could believe the infamous Bartemius Crouch, the man who was so against the Darks Arts that he had not hesitated to send his only son to the dementors, had done such a thing. One of the oldest pureblood families in Britain ended with its last to members in Azkaban.

"So what happens now?" Remus asked, sitting next to Sirius in the kitchen basement of Number Twelve.

Sirius sighed and poured himself another glass of firewhiskey. "Bones has been in constant contact with Dumbledore—about Voldemort, obviously. I wouldn't be surprised if the Order is regrouped within the next month or so."

Remus nodded. "It could have been worse, you know," he said, sipping his own glass of firewhiskey.

"I know," Sirius said, thinking of what could have happened had Harry been entered into the Tournament. "But if we don't find Malfoy soon, Voldemort's going to be back in power before we know it." With that statement, Sirius made a decision to visit his cousin Narcissa at Malfoy Manor.

Backed by a team of five of his best Aurors, a Ministry administered search warrant in hand, Sirius stood before the large white doors of Malfoy Manor and waited. When it opened, the Aurors laid eyes on a small house-elf with bat-like ears and large green eyes. Sirius stated his business with all the professionalism he possessed, and led his Aurors into the hallway of Narcissa's home.

The tall blonde woman stepped down the stairs wearing the look of disgust she had mastered in her teenage years, and reserved mostly for Sirius. Sirius presented the search warrant to his cousin and began to tear the house apart. Literally. He pulled out bookcases, moved rugs, desks, and anything else that could possibly hide a secret room. Narcissa followed his progress throughout the house, muttering insults when she thought Sirius wasn't listening.

Halfway through the search, one of the Aurors pulled Sirius aside and whispered that they had found something under the drawing room floor. The Head Auror took one look around the secret chamber and felt a grin spread across his face. "Oh, Narcissa," he sang, heading back up the stairs. He sent for Arthur; the Head of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts would have a field day in that chamber.

Narcissa claimed complete innocence to the things the Ministry workers found; claiming they all belonged to her husband. Sirius, being the nice bloke he was, sparked a deal with his cousin: handover all the information she had on Lucius, and she wouldn't have a cell waiting for her across from the Crouches. He would settle for a hefty fine.

By the end of the questioning, all they had gathered was that Lucius only returned a few times to his home since his disappearance. Narcissa stated his visits were to gather some of the things he had kept hidden from his family. For some reason, Sirius believed her.

He left Malfoy Manor that night quite satisfied. Even if they didn't know where Malfoy was, they'd gotten closer than they had been in years. Three Aurors were sent to stake out the Manor in case he returned for whatever reason.

When he returned to Number Twelve at ten o'clock that night, he only grimaced at the sight of his childhood home twice as he quietly made his way through the house, searching for his best friend. He and Remus had been lucky enough to keep themselves from triggering the shrieking voice of Mrs. Black since their arrival, and Sirius wanted to keep it that way.

Sirius found Remus in the library doing what he had been doing for days: reading.

"What the hell are you reading about?" Sirius asked, sitting across from his friend.

"Hello to you, too," Remus muttered, not looking up from his book.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sat back. "We need to get you a girl, Moony," he said suddenly.

Remus nearly choked on his tea. "And why would we do that?"

Sirius shrugged. "Get you out of this house once in a while. And I mean for more than meetings with Dumbledore," he added at Remus' look.

Remus and the Headmaster had met several times since the Crouches' arrests. They were preparing to bring the Order of the Phoenix back into commission, a procedure Dumbledore insisted be kept quiet for the time being.

"I don't have time for women, Sirius. Unlike you, of course." Remus grinned at Sirius over his book.

"For your information, not that it _matters_, I haven't seen Hestia in a week," Sirius said defensively.

"Only because she's been out of town."

"Honestly, what are you reading about?" Sirius asked, changing the subject.

Remus lowered his book and sighed. "Dumbledore wants me to go undercover again. I'm reading on some of the things I need to do. And I'm not supposed to tell you where I'm going, so don't ask. But I will assure you that I am _not_ a Death Eater."

"Oh, you're funny," Sirius said dryly. "When are you supposed to go on this little mission?"

"Three days," Remus muttered, reading his book again.

"And you were planning on telling me this... when?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

"In three days."

A pillow flew across the room, knocking the book out of Remus' hands.

* * *

Remus crept slowly and quietly through the house late in the night. He couldn't get to sleep to save his life and he knew why. He hadn't been on this kind of mission since the first war, and Dumbledore sending him now could only mean that the Headmaster was expecting a second war soon. It was a simple enough mission: he was to search known spots Voldemort had been rumored to be for any clues. The chances of the Dark Lord returning to any of these places were less than zero, but it had to be done.

One of these places was the old Riddle House, the place Harry had been taken to those years ago by Wormtail. This was perhaps the one place Remus didn't want to return to for obvious reasons.

Remus headed down to the kitchen and picked up their latest letter from Harry. Two weeks into the school term, Harry seemed to be enjoying his fourth year. Half of the letter complained about the lack of Quidditch that year due to the Triwizard Tournament, and the rest of it expressed the enjoyment they were finding in Moody's classes. Harry made it quite clear that while he loved Remus' lessons, there was just something different about Moody. Sirius said it was paranoia. The fourth years were studying the Unforgivable Curses. Apparently Harry had thrown off the Imperius Curse three times, a fact Sirius was proud to compare to James' abilities with the curse.

Remus set the letter back on the table and moved to the pantry for the fresh chocolate chip biscuits Molly had sent them the other day. He pulled out a butterbeer from the icebox and pondered the odd combination. Werewolves had very strange cravings at times...

The thought of an impending second war looming over their heads like a thunderstorm without end didn't scare Remus as much as it did when Sirius was first released, and Harry had come to live with them. Perhaps it was because he now knew where he belonged; he knew Sirius and Harry were fully capable of taking care of themselves in dangerous situations. Or perhaps he was just getting too old to overly worry about things. Remus lowered his bottle and thought for a second before shaking his head. No, he was not old, just experienced.

That was his story, and he was sticking to it.

"Morning, Moony." Remus jumped, turned, and spotted Sirius standing on the basement stairs.

"Merlin, Sirius, you're going to give me a heart attack," Remus said, going back to his drink and biscuits.

"You guys didn't call me 'Padfoot' for nothing," Sirius joked, sitting next to his friend. "I could always sneak up on anybody if I really wanted to."

"And yet, most times, you stomp around, making the floors threaten to collapse," Remus said flatly.

Sirius made a face at him.

"What are you doing up so late?" Remus asked, chuckling and pushing the plate of biscuits in Sirius' direction.

"I was about to ask you the same," Sirius replied, munching on the snack.

Remus shrugged. "Thinking," he said.

"Care to share?"

"Not particularly," Remus responded. Sirius raised an eyebrow. Normally, Remus wouldn't hesitate to tell Sirius what was weighing on his mind. The fact that he wouldn't share now only meant it was serious.

"Okay," he said slowly. "So how long is this mission you're supposed to go on?"

"No idea," Remus answered. "I suppose it depends on what I find."

Sirius nodded, staring at the table. "Just be careful, eh?" he muttered.

Remus smiled and patted Sirius on the back. "I will be, Sirius."

An owl flew through the dark fireplace and landed on the table between the two wizards. "A little early for post, isn't it?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's from Dumbledore," Remus said, reaching for the letter. Sirius watched Remus read the letter in silence.

Nothing on his face gave away its contents, but Sirius was used to that.

Remus folded the letter and stood. "Change of plans," he said, draining the last of his butterbeer. "I'm leaving now." He quickly wrote a reply on a scrap piece of parchment on the table and put it in the bird's beak. The owl immediately flew back through the fireplace.

"Now? Remus, it's three-thirty in the morning. Why do you have to leave now?" Sirius asked.

Remus stopped halfway up the stairs, turned, and sighed. "I wish I could tell you, but right now... I can't."

Sirius' eyebrows rose high as Remus continued back up the stairs. He quickly stood and followed. He didn't understand why this mission was so secretive that he couldn't be in on it. And as much as he didn't want to think it, this was starting to remind him of the first war. Remus would disappear without any warning, not telling anyone what was going on. But he knew better. The letter had been from Dumbledore; he'd seen the Hogwarts seal on the back of it.

He reached Remus' room in record time, and found his friend now fully dressed, packing things in a knapsack: potions, a few changes of clothes, and books.

Remus finished his packing, charmed the bag to be lightweight, and shrunk it to fit in his pocket. When he turned to face the door, he found his path blocked by Sirius. He would have found the situation hilarious had the circumstances been different.

"Sirius, I don't have time for this." Remus sighed.

"All I want to know is what was in that letter," Sirius said, not backing down.

"Later. I will explain everything later. But for now, you're just going to have to trust me."

Sirius reluctantly nodded and moved out of Remus' way. He quietly followed his friend down the stairs. Remus pulled on a black traveling cloak, and took out his wand from his pocket. He opened the front door and stepped down the stairs. Before Disapparating, he turned back to Sirius. He hesitated, trying to find something that would put Sirius at ease. He realized nothing could do that at the moment, and settled for saying, "I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Take care," Sirius said, raising his hand in temporary farewell.

Remus nodded, smiled, and disappeared from sight.

* * *

He didn't like not knowing what was going on. It was something he had always despised. What the hell could Remus possibly be doing that he couldn't tell his best friend?

He made up his mind by dawn, dressed quickly, and portkeyed to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds. Tucking the empty butterbeer bottle back into his jeans, he crossed the gates. Up the Hogwarts steps, through the doors, he made his way to the Headmaster's office. He made a point to visit Harry before leaving, but not before he got the answers he wanted.

Standing before the gargoyle guard, Sirius thought about what password the old man could be using. Saying the first candy that popped into his mind—Acid Pops—he was surprised to find he had guessed right, especially on the first try. The gargoyles moved aside, allowing Sirius to make his way up to the office.

"Come in," Dumbledore called when Sirius knocked.

He opened the door and entered the office, and sighed at the sight of not only Alastor Moody, but Severus Snape.

"Sirius, what a surprise," Dumbledore said, obviously not at all surprised one bit by the Head Auror's presence in his office. He had to have been expecting this.

"Good morning, Albus, Mad-Eye," Sirius greeted, completely ignoring Snape's presence.

"What can I do for you, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked kindly, offering Sirius a seat.

"Er, actually, I had hoped we could speak alone, sir," Sirius said, eyeing the two professors.

"Of course. Gentlemen, we can continue this later," Dumbledore said. A few moments later, Sirius and Dumbledore were alone. The old wizard sat back in his chair, linked his fingers beneath his beard, and waited.

"I'd like to know where you've sent Remus, Albus," Sirius said bluntly.

Dumbledore nodded. "I figured as much," he sighed. "I've had reports that numerous werewolf colonies have been contacted by Voldemort. I've asked Remus to go and speak with the werewolves, to try and convince them not to join his ranks."


	11. Eleven

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Eleven_

Harry stared through the window of his dormitory out into the dark night. Tonight was the full moon, and it had always been hard for him to sleep on such nights. Hermione had more than once suggested a sleeping potion from Madam Pomfrey, but Harry found that even with a potion he still couldn't sleep on full moon nights.

By most accounts, Harry had grown to lead a normal life. Well, unless one takes into account the whole Voldemort thing… Overall, he was a happy teenager. He had two guardians who would do anything and risk everything for his sake. He knew there were some people who doubted the abilities of two bachelors such as Sirius and Remus to raise a teenager, but Harry thought they had done a damn good job so far.

He received a letter from Sirius that morning at breakfast. It was the usual "hope you're keeping out of trouble"—though Harry knew he meant no such thing—"see you at Christmas" stuff Sirius had written since he started Hogwarts. What made this particular letter different from the others was that there was no postscript from Remus telling Harry to disregard any prank ideas Sirius had written. In fact, there was no mention of Remus in the entire letter. Harry hadn't heard from his surrogate godfather in two weeks—an unusually long time considering Remus and Sirius sent him letters via Hedwig at least twice a week. Harry had written back to Sirius inquiring about Remus, and was now anxiously awaiting a reply.

Sighing, the fourth year boy moved away from the window and tiptoed back to his bed. He could hear Ron's light snores from behind his bed curtains. Across the room, the same noise floated over from Neville's bed as Harry climbed into bed and felt his heavy eyelids close.

* * *

Three weeks.

It had been three bloody weeks since Sirius had seen hide or hair (pardon the pun) of Remus J. Lupin. No letters, no firecalls, nothing... Dumbledore hadn't even heard from him. The full moon had come and gone, and still no sign. Harry was growing suspicious and worried. Sirius, regardless of how much he wanted to, couldn't tell his godson where Remus had gone; what if the letter had been intercepted? So he told Harry that Remus had been incredibly busy recently, and had not had time to write any letters. Sirius could only hope that Remus was remaining busy and not lying dead in some foreign forest.

His assumptions about the Order of the Phoenix had been correct; it was reforming on a small scale to begin with. They didn't want to recruit too many new members at the moment. Their plan was to work with what they had and build from there. The first meeting would be held that night, in fact. There hadn't yet been anyone in the house besides its owner, but Sirius expected them soon.

Staring moodily at the wall opposite him, Sirius waited. That seemed to be the only thing he had been doing lately besides work...

He could hear the front door just fine from his seat in the drawing room as he contemplated ripping down the Black family tapestry for the twentieth time since his re-arrival in the house. The tapestry had put up a nice fight, though, and Sirius suspected his mother had put a sticking charm on the back of it. The Auror wondered how hard it would be just to blast the thing off the wall. He set down his now trademark glass of firewhiskey—he really needed to cut back on the stuff—took out his wand, and stood. The moment he steadied his aim perfectly to hit his mother's name, however, the front door creaked open.

"Damn," Sirius muttered. Perhaps later; it would be something to look forward to.

He walked to the entranceway and spotted the first arrivals of the night: Kingsley and Tonks. It had been Dumbledore's idea to bring Tonks to the meeting tonight. The young Auror was always willing to be of assistance, and they needed all the trustworthy Ministry employees they could find.

Signaling for them to remain quiet, Sirius led them through the house to the basement kitchen where the meeting would take place. He offered them a butterbeer and a seat as they exchanged small talk. Not long after, four more arrivals appeared in front of them by portkey. Dumbledore gave the three Aurors a smile; McGonagall a curt nod; Moody a grunt; and Snape scowled at the lot of them.

Dumbledore and McGonagall set themselves to conjuring chairs for the meeting while Sirius, Kingsley, and Moody went back up the stairs to wait for the others. Thirty minutes later, and without once setting off Mrs. Black, Molly and Arthur Weasley, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones, Mundungus Fletcher, and Arabella Figg arrived—each of them (Dung included) had their uses to the Order.

Dumbledore stood before them and began the meeting. "I would first like to thank you all for joining me this evening, and thank you to Sirius for allowing us use of his home." Dumbledore paused and sighed. "It is only a matter of time, my friends, before Lord Voldemort attempts to return once more. I am sure that all of you remember—some more clearly than others—the events eight years ago. Though mistakes were made that night, Voldemort did not reach his goal." The old wizard's lips twitched slightly as he thought of Sirius' rash actions with Voldemort's cauldron. "With the cooperation from the Ministry, and the help of all of you present, we can once again prevent Voldemort's return."

Sirius' ears prickled and he turned his head towards the kitchen door at the top of the steps. It had been closed before the meeting had begun—Sirius had made sure of it. But now he could see a small shadow standing in the cracked door. He stood suddenly, startling those around him. "Excuse me for a moment," he muttered. Sirius moved quickly up the stairs, grabbed Kreacher by the scruff of his neck, and threw him into the drawing room. Without a word to the disgruntled house-elf, Sirius closed the door, locked it with a spell, and went back to the meeting.

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling when Sirius sat down, and he received a few questioning glances from the others present. "We have a bit of an infestation problem," Sirius explained. "My apologies, Albus, please continue."

Dumbledore chuckled quietly. "Thank you for that, Sirius. At the moment, Voldemort's location is unknown. Remus Lupin—" Sirius sat up straighter in his seat. "—has been sent to explore places Voldemort once called his hideouts. Along with that mission, he is also gone to speak with various werewolf councils. While I have not heard from him—" Sirius rolled his eyes in frustration. "—I expect him back within the coming weeks." The headmaster went on to explain the roles each member of the Order would play, and with everyone's agreement, they set a meeting for two weeks later.

The house was once again empty two hours later—some of those attending the meeting stayed back to chat for a while. Once they had left, Sirius returned to the drawing room to have his own little chat with Kreacher about eavesdropping.

* * *

Remus waited patiently in the back of a dark little Romanian pub. It was nicer than many of the others he had visited over the last two weeks—which wasn't saying too much. Sipping on his glass of brandy, he thought over the events of his mission so far.

He had spoken with fifteen werewolf packs across the world. Only seven of them would meet with him; the others threatened his life for intruding upon their business in such a way. Remus had tried to explain that he wasn't intruding, only inquiring, but the packs wouldn't listen to him. One pack had actually sent one of their own to fight Remus. Hours later, Remus limped from the pack's land, leaving the other werewolf in very bad shape.

The Alpha males who would listen to Remus did so suspiciously. He learned that there had been another English wizard who had been in contact with them as well. This wizard was explaining the exact opposite of what Remus was saying to them. While Remus told them the Ministries would not intrude upon their private sanctuaries, the other wizard told them that if they joined _his_ cause they would gain respect and rights they had long since been denied. Remus told them he knew the other two wizards and their cause very well, and that they would be used as weapons, not allies. Most werewolf packs, Remus learned, preferred to live in peace, others did not. Thankfully for his cause, Remus was able to convince five of the seven packs he had spoken with to remain neutral in any war that may erupt.

He spent the full moon in a dark forest that reminded him of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. With the use of his Wolfsbane Potion, Remus remained alert and clear-minded in case of an attack from any foe that could have been following him.

One of the pack leaders told Remus of an intelligent young man who had visited them months back. The man, also from England, had been studying the Dark Arts. Unlike a Death Eater, he was more interested in the Defense aspect of the subject, much like Remus. Quirrell was his name, and Remus vaguely recalled it from his days in school. The man had been four years below the Marauders, Ravenclaw if he remembered correctly.

Remus had contacted Quirrell and was now waiting for him in the Romanian pub. At long last, the wooden door Remus could clearly see from his seat opened, allowing the rain storm that had been pounding on the small town to be seen. A tall man wearing a cloak, the hood covering his head to either protect him from the storm or hide his identity entered. Remus, acting on intuition, reached into his own cloak for his wand. The man quickly crossed the bar and ordered a drink. Finally, he lowered the hood of his cloak and Remus released his wand. The man looked tired and drawn, but pleased to be in from the storm. He turned and looked around the pub. Taking his drink from the counter, he made his way to Remus' table.

"Lupin?" he questioned.

"Quirrell?"

The man nodded and sat in front of Remus. "Hell of a storm out there. Not supposed to let up for another week, they say," Quirrell said. Remus noted a long scar running from just below his chin all the way down his neck, the rest hidden by his robe. Quirrell must have sensed Remus' look. "Long story," he muttered uneasily, pulling his cloak tighter to help hide the scar. Quirrell sipped his drink while Remus ordered another brandy.

Once the two men had exchanged small talk (weather, things about the town itself), Quirrell asked, "So what brings you all the way out here, Mr. Lupin? Last I heard you were teaching at Hogwarts."

Remus smiled slightly. "Not anymore, actually. And please, call me Remus." Quirrell nodded. Remus leaned slightly over the table, not wanting the other patrons of the pub to overhear their conversation. "What do you know about Lord Voldemort?"

Quirrell jumped visibly, showing that he had indeed grown up knowing who and what Voldemort was. He looked around the pub before speaking. "Well," he started slowly. "I know he's been around these parts, or at least his lackey has been. But other than that..." He shrugged.

Remus nodded. "Have you heard anything strange around here? Mysterious deaths or disappearances, or the like?"

Quirrell sighed and thought. "Not around here, no. But there was a woman I met at an inn in Albania. I knew her from back home. We were supposed to meet for breakfast before she went home the next morning, only she never showed up."

"What was her name?"

"Bertha Jorkins."

* * *

_Harry was walking through a forest. His trusty Firebolt was over his left shoulder, and he still had on his Quidditch robes. The sun was shining high above the trees, but the large leaves provided him with plenty of shade. A stream was running along the path as he walked, the water crystal clear._

_The scene reminded him of dreams he'd had when he was younger with a stag, wolf, and a dog. Those always took place at night, though, and on the full moon._

_He took a sharp right, away from the bubbling stream, and further into the woods. He un-shouldered his broomstick and mounted it before flying straight up through the trees._

_Night had fallen. He flew through the black sky, through the stars and the moon._

_Up ahead, Harry could see a large castle, loads bigger than Hogwarts. But it didn't have the same feel as Hogwarts; the trees weren't full and green like his school's, but dead. The grass was brown and dry. He could feel the coldness; it sent a shiver to his very soul._

_Figures in long, black, hooded cloaks floated eerily in front of the castle's entrance. Harry descended and touched the strangely cool, damp grass. His broomstick had disappeared; Harry didn't take any notice._

_He cautiously walked to the entrance of the stone castle where he could hear the rattling breathing of the cloaked figures, could smell their putrid breath, could feel their bony hands as they attempted to deny entrance. _

_Harry crossed the threshold of the castle and found himself not in a stony entranceway but a cozy looking sitting room. A fire was burning in the fireplace; he could feel its warmth. The room looked vaguely familiar, but Harry couldn't remember ever being in a place such as this. A picture on a wall showed a redheaded woman with emerald green eyes standing beside a tall man with black untidy hair._

_Harry smiled at the picture and moved on through the house. Up the stairs, the location was once again different. _

_Or maybe it wasn't..._

_He was outside again, standing on what could have once been a very beautiful, well kept lawn. Yellow "caution" tape surrounded the yard, and a large sign declared the area condemned. It seemed a shame to Harry that such a place could be condemned; it was quite pretty. _

_Two figures were in the middle of the rubble. One was tall with long tangled, dirty, blond hair. The other seemed to be a bundle of robes at first look, but upon closer examination, Harry found it to be a very ugly idea of a baby. The blond man stood before a large cauldron, and dropped the "baby" inside of it. Harry could hear the _thunk_ as it hit the bottom. The man moved to the side of the once-house and picked up a phial of potion. The liquid inside was dark red. The man poured the phial into the cauldron, and said an incantation Harry couldn't make out. The sky—the already black sky—was filled with swirls of dark blue. A matching dark blue lightning bolt struck the cauldron._

_Harry found himself hoping, praying that whatever had been put into that cauldron was long dead. It was not to be so._

_A hazy mist filled the area, filled Harry's lungs, causing him to cough and choke. He fell to the ground, gasping for air. When he raised his head, the blond man was no longer alone._

_Harry's worst nightmare had appeared before his very eyes. Lord Voldemort raised his wand in Harry's direction, and with a snake-like grin, he shouted, "_Crucio_!" _

* * *

Harry awoke with a start. Every bone in his body ached, there was a loud humming in his ears, and he couldn't see. He tried to raise his arm, but found it impossible. He was trembling. As minutes wore on, the humming turned to voices, startled voices.

He felt someone near him. Someone touching his face, removing something from over his eyes. Harry saw the blurry outlines of Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore. He tried to speak, but his throat burned.

"Poppy?" Dumbledore said quietly. "Would you excuse us, please?"

Pomfrey looked as if she was going to argue for a minute, but at the look on the Headmaster's face, she pursed her lips and walked to her office. The moment she disappeared from sight, Harry somehow found his voice.

"Voldemort's back," he croaked before passing out once more.

* * *

Remus walked tiredly across Hogwarts grounds. It was a bright Saturday afternoon two weeks before Halloween. He was eager to get to Dumbledore's office, finish their meeting, and sleep for the next six months. He'd been gone for a month with no communication whatsoever with his family. Sirius would undoubtedly be upset, but Remus found he didn't care much at the moment. He'd deal with it later.

There were a number of students on the grounds that day, and in the distance, Remus could see a few playing Quidditch. None of them looked like Harry. He walked up the stairs, through the doors, turned the familiar corner, and ran right into the last person he expected to see so soon.

Sirius looked as tired as Remus felt. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days. "Remus," Sirius said, shocked.

"Hello, Sirius. What are you doing here?" Remus asked. He hadn't meant for the question to come out as rude as it probably had, but exhaustion had a way of making things sound different.

"You haven't heard..." Sirius said, staring at Remus as if he had never seen anything like him before. He sighed and began to drag Remus down the hall.

"Sirius, I am very glad to see you, but I need to speak with Dumbledore," Remus said, following his friend.

"This is more important than werewolf councils, Remus," Sirius said flatly. Remus raised his eyebrows. His friend glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Don't look so surprised; I came to talk to Dumbledore the day you left."

Remus decided he would figure it out later, and realized where they were headed. "Why are we going to the hospital wing?" There could be only one reason Sirius would take him there. "Is something wrong with Harry?" he asked, concerned.

"You could say that, yeah," Sirius muttered.

They entered the hospital wing to find Pomfrey standing over Harry. He was either unconscious or asleep, Remus couldn't be sure. They approached his bed and Remus thought he looked fine. He was a bit pale, but otherwise completely healthy... He looked at one of the potions Pomfrey was holding: Dreamless Sleep potion.

Remus sighed. "Another dream?"

Sirius nodded. He began to explain the events of the night before. Ron and the other fourth year boys were suddenly awoken by Harry's screams. He'd been thrashing around in his bed, and they could not calm him. One of the boys had gone for McGonagall. After calming him, she brought Harry down to the hospital wing. Dumbledore had spoken with Harry twice since his arrival. The first time he was very incoherent. But the second time, Dumbledore had discovered what the dream had been about.

"It happened at Godric's Hollow. Dumbledore went out there right after he talked with Harry the second time, right before he called me. There're scorch marks that were caused by a cauldron, fresh footprints, all of it. It happened, Remus," Sirius finished, looking more tired than Remus had ever seen him.

Once Remus digested the information, he looked at Sirius. "Why Godric's Hollow?"

Sirius could only shrug.

The two wizards sat in chairs at Harry's bedside and waited for him to wake. A house-elf brought them both lunch, though neither could eat. Pomfrey reentered and half-heartedly threatened them both if they didn't sleep; they weren't tired.

Finally, late into the night, Harry woke. He seemed relieved to see the only two faces he wanted to see after one of his nightmares finally next to him. After his guardians made sure he got some food into his stomach, Harry told them his dream in detail. He told them how real it felt as he passed the dementors at the castle entrance, the warmth of the fire, the sky, and the lightning, and about Voldemort. How real it felt when Voldemort cast the Cruciatus Curse on him.

Remus sat back in his chair after Harry's explanation. Madam Pomfrey rushed back in and urged the boy to sleep once again. It was happening sooner than they had expected, they hadn't even gotten the chance to prepare.

Lord Voldemort had risen once again.


	12. Twelve

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twelve_

News about the feared Dark Lord's rise was released the day it had been discovered. Alongside Albus Dumbledore, Minister Amelia Bones had made the announcement first to Ministry officials, then to a select group of reporters. News had, naturally, traveled very quickly throughout the country. Bones had asked the magical community to remain calm and vigilant.

Diagon Alley had been unusually deserted in the days after; witches and wizards feared to travel far from their homes. Aurors were scattered around England not only to keep their eyes open in case of sudden attacks, but to assure people the Ministry was taking Voldemort's threat seriously.

The small village of Godric's Hollow had been a source of great curiosity. Magical Forensics, along with the high-ranking Department of Magical Law Enforcement officers, had spent a week on the site of Lily and James Potter's former home. Exactly what it was that they were searching for was a mystery to all but them. The amount of magic surrounding the site had shocked many. It was obvious to those scarce few who were not aware of the tragic events that had been taken place there that terrible dark magic had been executed there before Voldemort had risen. That was the site, after all, where Voldemort had fallen in the first place.

Remus stood alone before the former home of his two best friends staring dazedly at the destruction that had never been removed. He could almost see the home in its original form. He could see Lily working in the garden she loved so much. He could see James sitting in the grass playing peek-a-boo with a six-month-old Harry. He could smell Lily's fabulous cooking, and could hear James' unique laughter.

Shaking his head and sniffing slightly, Remus ducked under the caution tape and walked up the front path. He stood in front of the space formerly occupied by the front door, and nearly, out of old habit, reached out a hand to the doorbell that no longer existed.

Carefully, he moved across the debris. He hadn't been there for years. The last time was when he'd come to salvage some of Lily and James' possessions. He walked to the sight Voldemort's large cauldron had been a week previous and looked around. Why had Voldemort come here? Just to rub something in the faces of the wizarding world? To show them that no place was sacred? Somehow, Remus didn't quite think so.

There were no footprints leading into or out of the rubble. The Aurors and Forensics workers had a way of hiding their traces without disturbing evidence or clues; it was what made them the best around.

Remus knelt on the ground, picked up some dirt, and let it fall between his fingertips. There was no real reason for him to be there; he just wanted to see it firsthand. He'd avoided the place for years for obvious reasons.

Sirius had flat-out refused to join him. He wouldn't even go with the Aurors during their search for clues. Remus understood his reasoning even if he had never voiced it; the last time _he'd_ been there, he'd seen his friends' dead bodies. Anyone would feel the same, really.

A hand closed on Remus' shoulder, causing him to jump up and pull out his wand in one swift movement. He lowered his wand when he set eyes on the person before him. Instead of the usual grin Sirius wore when he scared the hell out of his friend, his face was oddly tense.

"You shouldn't be out here alone," Sirius muttered.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a child, Sirius," he said gently.

"I know," Sirius said, tearing his eyes from one particular spot just over Remus' shoulder. "Find anything?"

"No, I wasn't really looking for anything..." Remus trailed off.

Sirius nodded.

The two friends stared at one another for long minutes, communicating silently about how they both felt about being where they were. The Marauders always had that sort of bond between the four of them. Lily had once said it was creepy the way they could read one another so well. None of them could ever explain it, not that they actually tried. Remus wasn't sure when that bond had begun, but it was always a comfort he'd found with his friends.

Without a word, Sirius and Remus left the site and walked through the abandoned neighborhood. Residents had complained of strange feelings in the neighborhood after Lily and James' deaths—they said it just didn't feel right. One woman had even said there was a dark aura surrounding the young couple's home after that night. In the months after, families began to leave, eventually making it a ghost neighborhood.

Exchanging only a small glance, the two wizards Apparated to Number Twelve; the Order would be meeting soon.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together under a beech tree looking out into the lake. Their original plan (well, Hermione's plan, really) had been to do their homework. They found, however, that their attention was on other things.

Voldemort's return had not influenced day-to-day life at the school too much. The students were on their guard, and stricter rules on post-curfew wanderers had been put into place. The parents of Hogwarts students were correct in their assumptions that the school was the safest place in their world with Albus Dumbledore around. However, one or two sets of parents had pulled their children out of the school despite the Headmaster's promise of their safety.

A lot of the older students had taken out subscriptions for the _Daily Prophet_. It was pointless, really; Voldemort hadn't shown any sign of wanting to attack just yet. He was biding his time... And when he did attack, there would not be one person who did not know about it.

"When do you think it's going to happen?" Ron asked quietly.

"What?" Harry and Hermione asked automatically.

"The war..."

Harry turned thoughtfully to his red-haired friend. "I don't know," he said.

War wasn't something familiar to any of them. The sixth and seventh year students might have had very vague memories, but the rest of them were too young to remember. Harry, perhaps, had a better understanding of it all, having grown up with Sirius and Remus. From a young age, he knew how his parents had died, and by whose wand. They'd even told him _why_ his parents were murdered. He fully understood the prophecy that had been made before his birth by the time he started Hogwarts. The threat of an inevitable battle between him and Voldemort didn't worry him as much as it should have. But the fourth year knew that no matter what happened his guardians would be right next to him through it all.

"Want to play Quidditch, Harry?" Ron asked, looking behind them to the Quidditch pitch.

Harry smiled. "Sure." Leave it to Ron to change the subject from war to Quidditch.

Hermione raised her eyebrows and muttered, "Boys," before the two friends took off.

* * *

Security at the Ministry of Magic had been tighter than it had been since the first war. Apparition was strictly prohibited; anyone caught doing so received a week in the Ministry holding cells and a hefty fine. Floo entry was monitored by Aurors. The moment a witch or wizard entered the Ministry, proper identification was required.

Sirius stood in the long line with his Auror's license in hand. While the security measures were necessary, Sirius—like many other Ministry workers—believed there were easier, more convenient ways to do things.

"Morning, Tonks." Sirius grinned at his blue-haired cousin.

Tonks glared. "Why do I have Floo detail? Did I piss you off or something?" she asked, checking Sirius' license.

"Of course not! It's only because we love you so much," Sirius insisted, pinching Tonks' cheek and walking away quickly before she could retaliate.

He made his way through the Ministry, down the packed lift to level two, and walked to Auror Headquarters. The Aurors who had already arrived that morning looked exhausted. For nearly two weeks, they'd all be on-call at all hours of the night, dealing with hysterical witches and wizards who claimed to have sighted Voldemort in their front yards. All of them, of course, were false alarms, but that didn't stop the Aurors from being irritated.

"Mornin', Sirius," Kingsley grunted as Sirius sat in a chair across from the other wizard's desk.

"Good morning!" Sirius replied cheerfully causing Kingsley to glare at him. Sirius grinned. "Long night?"

"One woman called in at two a.m. When we got out there, it was just an oversized Kneazle sneaking around the bushes. Now the woman is telling anyone who will listen that You-Know-Who can transform into a Kneazle," Kingsley said flatly.

Sirius laughed. "Can't be as bad as the wizard who said Voldemort jumped out of that portrait of his mother. And why can't you ever say his name?" Sirius asked when Kingsley shivered at the sound of the Dark Lord's name.

"Not everyone's as comfortable with it as you and Lupin," Kingsley answered.

"There aren't many people who are as comfortable with a lot of things as Lupin," Sirius said.

* * *

Remus sat in the small, yet comfortable, kitchen of John Barrow's home sipping tea from a chipped ceramic mug. Though the werewolf hadn't spoken with him in years, John was an old friend of Remus'; he and the Marauders had been in the same year at Hogwarts, but John was a Ravenclaw.

"Remus, I appreciate what you're doing here, what you're all doing, really, I do. But... I would prefer to stay as far out of this as I can. I lost everything last time, and I just can't do it again," John said quietly, picking at a spot on his kitchen table.

Remus could only nod. He, along with the Marauders and Lily, had been at the funeral for John's wife and six-month-old daughter not two years after graduation. "I understand," Remus said sympathetically. He drained the last of his tea and took John's example as the other wizard stood.

"If there's anything else I can do..." John said.

Remus smiled and shook his old friend's hand. "Thank you for your time, John. Not everyone has been this hospitable," he added with a tired laugh.

John nodded. "No one wants to believe it. I mean, I always knew You-Know-Who would come back, but..." John stared off into another room looking quite sad. "You take care of yourself, Remus. And tell Black I say hello."

"I will. Goodbye, John."

Remus left the small house and Apparated to visit the next family' on his list. He had been set the duty of recruiting for the Order. Former Hogwarts students, old friends of Dumbledore and other Order members were being asked to help their cause in any way possible. So far, not many people had even considered what Remus was saying to them. The majority of them were in John Barrow's position: they'd all lost family or friends in the first war and were hesitant to make themselves targets and risk all they had built over the years. It was exactly how John said; no one wanted to believe Voldemort had returned. They knew it would mean more years of darkness, pain, and loss. They didn't want to face it just yet.

Looking down at his list, and crossing off yet another name, Remus walked up the front walkway of Augusta Longbottom. He knocked on the front door and smoothed out his robes. The mother of Frank Longbottom had always been strict when it came to proper dress. Remus had only met the witch on a few occasions, and while most found her foreboding—including her grandson—Remus knew she could be quite pleasant when she wanted to be. Mrs. Longbottom had always been quite proud of her son and daughter-in-law. It was an immense tragedy that Frank and Alice could no longer function as a normal family with Neville...

The door opened and Remus set eyes on Augusta. He had to work hard to contain his laughter; she wouldn't appreciate it. The woman was wearing a long green dress and a hat with a stuffed vulture on the top. Remus, of course, had seen the outfit before, but not on Mrs. Longbottom.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Longbottom. I don't know if you remember me—" Remus began.

"Of course, I remember you, boy. Come in, come in," Mrs. Longbottom said briskly. "Only just got home. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Ah, no, thank you," Remus said, smiling.

"I've been wandering when one of you lot would be coming to see me," the witch said, leading Remus in to her sitting room.

"One of who, ma'am?" Remus asked, slightly surprised.

Mrs. Longbottom raised an eyebrow as if she thought Remus was fairly daft. "You're one of Dumbledore's bunch?" Remus nodded. "That's what I meant. I knew he'd be sending someone 'round here sooner or later. I know all about his Order. Don't seem so shocked, boy. Frank told me years ago just in case something happened. Such a good boy, he was."

"I see," Remus said quietly. "So you know why I'm here, then?"

"I do." Mrs. Longbottom sighed, looking fondly at a picture of her son and his family. "And rest assured I'll help out in any way I can. Always knew this would happen sometime."

Remus smiled at the woman, and received a rare smile in return. With Mrs. Longbottom's promise to help, the two spent the rest of Remus' visit discussing the wizarding world in general, Frank's and Alice's conditions (Alice could recognize Neville now, which made Remus smile sadly), and Neville, himself.

Mrs. Longbottom held high aspirations for her only grandson, and while she was hard on the boy at times, it was obvious, by the photos of him that resided in the sitting room, that she loved him dearly.

Remus left the Longbottom residence soon after and Apparated back to Number Twelve. He entered just in time to see Sirius rip Mrs. Black's curtain closed. The look on his face would have sent most people running from the room for safety, but Remus Lupin wasn't most people.

"Bad day, Padfoot?" Remus asked casually. Sirius glared at him and stomped off to the basement kitchen.

"Goddamned house-elf. I swear, Remus, next time he's going to be unconscious at the foot of the stairs," Sirius said, fuming.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought Sirius Black was benevolent to all creatures," he said, earning another glare. "What did he do this time?"

"Caught him snogging some of my father's trousers and I ripped them away from him. He decided to get revenge by waking my mother. He sat there laughing his ugly little head off while I tried to shut the old bat up."

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to be nicer to him," Remus said.

"Please, god, tell me you're kidding," Sirius said dryly. Remus shook his head. "After everything that little ball of filth has said to you alone, you want me to be nice to him?" Remus shrugged. "You're insane. What is Snape putting in that Wolfsbane?"

Remus chuckled. "I'm not saying you should take him to the Ministry, adopt him, and start calling him 'son'. All I'm telling you is that you shouldn't yell at him so much. A little kindness goes a long way, Sirius," he said wisely.

Sirius wasn't buying it. "Right. I'll keep that in mind. I'm going to take a shower—"

"Good, you smell—"

"—and try to get rid of this bloody headache. See you in a few," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at Remus' good mood and going up the steep staircase.

* * *

Sirius raced down the stairs of his childhood home the moment he heard the doorbell followed by the imminent shrieks of his mother's portrait. He'd just gotten out of the shower and had only enough time to put on a pair of jeans. While Sirius struggled to shut the portrait curtains, Remus went to answer the door. Sirius watched him from the stairs where he sat down to dry his shoulder-length hair with his wand. The door was only open a crack, allowing Remus to speak with the dimwitted visitor who had rung the doorbell. Remus looked over his shoulder and sent his friend a wary glance before opening the door fully.

The moment Sirius set eyes on Snape, he stood from the stairs and ascended without a single word.

Snape raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on Sirius' actions; he obviously felt it best that Sirius wasn't around.

"What can I do for you, Severus?" Remus asked tensely. He didn't like Snape being in his presence much either.

"The Headmaster has sent me to retrieve the list of people you've spoken with," Snape said smoothly.

"Right, wait here," Remus said, going to the kitchen for the list. On his way back up he nearly experienced what was sure to have been an unpleasant collision with Snape. _Does he not understand the term _wait_ bloody_ here_? _Remus thought. He handed the list over to Snape stiffly and watched the other wizard's eyes scan the parchment.

"You could only convince three families? Spectacular work, Lupin," Snape said, smirking.

"Is there anything else you would like Sniv—er—_Severus_?" Remus asked, the near slip of the nickname Sirius and James used for the other wizard done purposely.

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Certainly not. Why any sane person desire to be in this place, I'll never know. Run along, now, Lupin. Don't want to keep Black waiting for too long," he said.

"If you want, Snivelly, you can join us, we've always got room for greasy-haired Death Eaters," Sirius said coldly, having just come back down the stairs.

Snape spun around to face Sirius. "What a touching sight—Black fighting Lupin's battles once again. Are we planning another attempted murder, Black? Perhaps another innocent student?"

"You were never innocent," Sirius said through gritted teeth. "Get over it and _get the hell out of my house_."

Snape's lip curled. "Going to try and save the day again, Black?" Snape raised his eyebrows in mock-thoughtfulness. "Oh, wait, that was Potter Senior, now wasn't it?"

Now, most would have expected Sirius to do it, but when Remus' fist connected with the back of Snape's head, the other two wizards were surprised, to say the least.

"Get. out." Remus growled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Snape's shock lasted only a moment. He moved around Sirius who was too busy staring at Remus in utter astonishment to pay the Potions Master any attention. Rarely, in all the years Sirius had known him, did Remus strike somebody out of anger. It was always James or Sirius who got themselves into Muggle duels. Remus was always the passive onlooker who tried to break it up.

Sirius stared open-mouthed at his best friend until the door slammed shut, causing Sirius' mother to start her screaming all over again.

"Wow," Sirius said, astounded, barely audible over his mother. "I didn't know you had it in you, Moony. Good work." He clapped his friend on the shoulder and for the third time in the hour, he went to shut the curtains over his mother's portrait. His bad mood had quickly faded, and for the rest of the night, Sirius was grinning at his friend.

Though it had felt as if he'd broken a few fingers, Remus couldn't help but grin back. "That felt good," he said honestly.


	13. Thirteen

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Thirteen_

One would think that the library found at Number Twelve, Grimmuald Place would have enough books about Dark Lords to satisfy any normal wizard. One would further think that what one couldn't find at Number Twelve one would be able to find in the Hogwarts library's restricted section. But most unfortunately for Remus J. Lupin, one would be wrong.

Our resident werewolf sat in the back of the Hogwarts library the day after Halloween in frustration. He'd gone through everything—_Most Potente Potions; Born to Dark: A Study of Dark Lords Over Four Centuries—_and he'd found nothing. His normally perfectly combed hair was a mess from repeatedly running his hands through it. His blue eyes were strained and bloodshot from lack of sleep and non-stop reading. He'd been in the same spot, without giving himself a break, since the evening before with Madame Pince helping him find the books he needed.

What information was Remus so desperately seeking, you ask? He wanted to know exactly why Lord Voldemort had chosen the former home of his friends for his rebirth. What was it about Godric's Hollow that Voldemort wanted? While he hadn't expected to have a book jump off the shelves with his answers, Remus had at the very least hoped he'd be able to find something that would lead him in the right direction.

Remus laid his head on his folded arms and closed his eyes for a few moments' rest. The pile of books in front of him provided the Lycan with the ability to hide himself from any students that happened to wander into the library. While he enjoyed speaking with the students on his visits, he couldn't afford the disruptions.

_Should have asked Harry for the Invisibility Cloak_, Remus thought sleepily.

Somebody cleared their throat quietly from above Remus. His eyes snapped open and he slowly raised his head. Dumbledore was standing before him with his amused, twinkling eyes.

"Hello, sir," Remus said tiredly.

"Good morning, Remus. Might I ask why it is that you are sleeping in Madam Pince's sanctuary?" the Headmaster asked.

Remus chuckled. "Just resting my eyes, Albus."

"Have you any luck?"

"No, sir," Remus said regretfully. "I've gone through almost every book in here, and I've found nothing." Madam Pince looked up sharply from her desk and glared at Remus for insulting her precious books before going back to her work.

Dumbledore's lips twitched as Remus sent the librarian an apologetic glance. "Perhaps we should talk in my office, hmm?"

Remus smiled, nodded, and stood. He waved his wand over the piles of books on the table, sending them back to their respective shelves. Satisfied, Remus followed the headmaster back to his office.

"I understand you had a bit of an, er, _encounter_ with Professor Snape recently, Remus," Dumbledore said lightly as they walked.

Remus winced and glanced sheepishly at the Headmaster. "You heard about that?" Dumbledore nodded. "Sorry about that, sir. I lost my temper."

"No need for apologies, Remus. But I must ask you to exercise a little more control around Severus Snape. I realize you, Sirius, and Severus have never been the closest of friends, but we are all on the same side now," Dumbledore said.

"Of course, sir," Remus said.

"Though I must say, that evening, even Severus' own self-prepared headache potion didn't help him," Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling again.

* * *

Sirius crossed the gates of Hogwarts and was immediately ambushed by three fourth year students. Harry and Ron were strangely excited about something, and Hermione stood behind them rolling her eyes. The boys were quickly trying to explain something to Sirius.

"What are they on about?" Sirius whispered loudly to Hermione.

"They're excited because some Quidditch player is here with Durmstrang," Hermione said exasperatedly.

"_Some _Quidditch player, Hermione?" Ron said incredulously. "Sirius, _Viktor Krum_ is here!"

"Really?" the Head Auror asked just as excitedly as the boys.

Hermione turned away from the three wizards and walked away, huffing about "them all being the same".

Sirius led the two boys across the front lawn and up to the school. "Harry, have you seen Remus at all?"

"Last I saw him he was in the library," Harry replied.

Sirius nodded. "Figures," he muttered. "All right, I've got a Headmaster to meet with. You lot... go... do homework or something."

"Homework?" Harry said incredulously. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my godfather?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and grinned. "Give me a break, here. I'm trying to be responsible. See you later."

"Bye!"

Sirius made his way through the Hogwarts corridors to the Headmaster's office. He was becoming quite worried about Remus. His friend had been obsessed with discovering the mystery surrounding Godric's Hollow. Every minute of every day for the past weeks have been dedicated through volume after volume of books. He would only stop when Sirius threatened to call Molly on his lack of eating and sleeping. Of course, Sirius wanted to know what Voldemort had been doing, but he wasn't going to kill himself over it. Working at the Ministry these days was enough to do that.

"I've told you before, Igor, you cannot walk around the school flashing that in front of my face," sneered the voice of Severus Snape.

Sirius approached a corner and listened in on the conversation.

"But if we're summoned—"

"Then we go. But you must practice secrecy. That's how you were captured the first time," Snape said coldly.

"Moody is why I was captured, Severus. And that's another thing; how do we get off the grounds with that man around?"

"There are ways, Igor," Snape said impatiently. "When the time comes, you will have to discover them on your own. Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do."

Sirius pressed himself against the wall as Snape swiftly walked down the corridors. Igor Karkaroff waited a moment and made his way back to his ship.

Sirius had, of course, been aware of Snape's involvement with the Death Eaters. Yes, he hated the man, but having an insider with Voldemort had its uses. What he hadn't been aware of was Karkaroff's continued loyalty to the Dark Lord. After the deal Karkaroff made with the Ministry, Sirius assumed Karkaroff would want to stay off Voldemort's radar. Cutting deals with the Ministry to get out of Azkaban was severely frowned upon by the Dark Lord.

Sirius quickened his pace to Dumbledore's office. He thought it insanely ignorant to have Snape teaching at Hogwarts, but to have a Death Eater who has never truly proved his loyalty to the light side...

The Auror said the password to the stone gargoyle and made his way up the revolving staircase as he had done countless times in the past. After being permitted entrance, Sirius found Remus, Dumbledore, and Moody having a deep discussion.

"Sirius, please, join us," Dumbledore greeted.

Sirius sat beside Remus on the sofa. "I just heard Snape talking with Karkaroff in the hall. I assume they were talking about Voldemort."

"We were just discussing Karkaroff, actually," Remus said.

"All I want to know it why he's here. He's a bloody Death Eater," Sirius said.

Dumbledore sighed. "Alastor and I have discussed this several times, Sirius. Until Igor Karkaroff has been once again discovered in league with Voldemort, there is nothing the Ministry, nor I, can do about it."

"That's bloody stupid," Sirius muttered.

Moody grunted in agreement.

"Harry will not be touched under my watch, Sirius," Dumbledore assured him.

"He sure as hell better not be! Or we'll have a Death Eater drowning in the lake," Sirius said.

Dumbledore raised an amused eyebrow. Sirius Black never did try to cover his protectiveness of Harry, or Remus, for that matter. "Now that we've discussed Karkaroff, I believe we have much wanted information for you, Sirius," Dumbledore said.

"Really? And that would be...?" Sirius said.

"As you know, Remus has been trying to research why Voldemort was at Lily and James' home. This afternoon, Severus Snape came to us with information regarding this."

"And?" Sirius asked eagerly. He glanced quickly at Remus and found his friend looking disgusted and a bit fearful. Apparently, he'd already heard all of this.

Dumbledore continued. "When Peter Pettigrew kidnapped Harry eight years ago, as you fully know, he attempted to resurrect Voldemort using Harry's blood, Pettigrew's flesh, and the bone of Voldemort's father. Though you destroyed the cauldron, thus ruining the ritual, those, er, _ingredients_ remained in what was left of Voldemort's body. Lucius Malfoy prepared a potion to finish bringing Voldemort back," he explained.

Sirius already discovered these things and wondered where Dumbledore was going with this. "So if Voldemort had all of those things in his body, they why did he wait eight years to return?" he asked.

"The potion was quite a difficult one. Some of the ingredients, for example, could only be found once every two years. And the potion itself takes a year to brew," Dumbledore said.

Sirius nodded. "But why Godric's Hollow?" He could feel Remus tense next to him and sent his friend a questioning glance.

"When a witch or wizard dies a tragic death, some of their powers can be left behind in the area in which they died. The amount of magic left behind varies from witch or wizard. James and Lily, as you are well aware, were both quite powerful. They were two of the most powerful I had seen in years. This was demonstrated with Lily's sacrifice for Harry; an average witch could not have performed the magic that saved Harry that night."

Dumbledore sighed as if he was preparing himself for something big. "When Lily and James were murdered by Lord Voldemort, the majority of their magic remained in their home. While some of Voldemort's powers were transferred to Harry when the killing curse failed, most of his powers were left behind in what remained of the house, as well. Voldemort returned to Godric's Hollow in hopes he would gain what was left of his powers back; he was successful. In addition to his own powers, he also absorbed the magic left behind by Lily and James."

Sirius stared at Dumbledore without blinking for long minutes. "Let me see if I've got this straight," he said quietly and slowly. "Not only does Voldemort have his powers back, but now he's stronger with Lily and James' magic? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes," Dumbledore confirmed.

"But Lily and James never used their powers for Dark Magic..."

"It doesn't matter," Remus said slightly hoarsely. "Lily and James were powerful, and they had the ability to use their magic for evil. They just chose not to."

"What does that mean for us?" Sirius asked, looking at the other wizards.

"There really is no way to know for sure until Voldemort comes out of hiding," Dumbledore said regretfully. "But it could mean that Voldemort will possibly be the strongest Dark Lord in history."

* * *

Dumbledore invited Sirius and Remus to remain at Hogwarts for the Goblet of Fire ceremony that night. They sat together at the staff table trying to enjoy the large feast before them, but found it impossible.

Remus understood what Snape had said earlier in the day before Sirius' arrival, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. Somewhere Voldemort had the power of five average wizards running through his blood. Remus always knew Lily and James Potter were the most powerful pair in their year at Hogwarts, and as Dumbledore said, in many years. Separately, they could battle Voldemort on certain terms and perhaps win, but together, they matched Voldemort's powers. It was proved in three different instances when they met the Dark Lord and escaped with minimal injuries.

The question now, as Sirius had said, was what does that mean for them? Whatever waited for them could not be good, in any case.

Sirius elbowed Remus in the arm and nodded towards Dumbledore. The Headmaster was preparing the students for the Goblet of Fire's choices for who would compete in the Triwizard Tournament. The candles in the Great Hall had been extinguished, leaving them with only the blue light of the goblet.

Three slips of scorched parchment were sent from the goblet in the coming minutes. The Hufflepuffs erupted in cheers as Cedric Diggory was selected Hogwarts champion. Fleur Delacour was selected for Beauxbatons, and Viktor Krum was chosen for Durmstrang. The three champions were sent into a small chamber off the Great Hall to await further instructions.

Before Dumbledore left to meet with the champions, he wished the other students a good night and sent them off to bed.

Sirius and Remus stood and waited for the inevitable moment when Harry and his friends would make their way to the staff table.

"I was hoping it would be Angelina," Ron was saying as they approached.

"Yeah, me too, but I'm sure Diggory won't do too badly," Harry said. "Hey, Sirius. Hey, Remus."

"Hey, kids, enjoy the feast?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, but we just had one last night, so I didn't eat as much," Harry said. Sirius shook his head in mock-disappointment. It was a known fact that Sirius and Harry had regular eating contests.

"I believe the Headmaster sent the students to bed," said a cold voice from behind Sirius.

"Careful, Snivellus, Remus might have to hit you again if you don't stop being rude to Hogwarts guests," Sirius warned without turning around.

"Lupin wouldn't have the courage. As I was saying, _Black_, these students were sent to bed. If they are not out of this hall in ten seconds, they will each be receiving a detention," Snape said.

"If you don't mind, Severus, we are talking to them," Remus said, also not turning around.

"But I do mind. Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape responded.

Harry and Ron opened their mouths to argue, but Remus motioned for them to keep quiet. "They've done nothing wrong, Severus. There is no need to dock points."

"Unless I am quite mistaken, Lupin, you are no longer a part of the Hogwarts staff; therefore, you have no say in when points can be taken from students who think themselves above the rules," Snape said smoothly, examining his fingernails.

"And whose fault is it that he's not a member of the staff anymore?" Harry asked heatedly.

"Detention, Potter. Now get to bed. All of you," Snape said before walking past them out of the Great Hall.

The only thing that kept Sirius from cursing Snape as he left was the presence of Hagrid, McGonagall, and Moody.

"Black, Lupin, if you would be so kind as to walk Potter, Weasley, and Granger to Gryffindor Tower," McGonagall said. "Oh, and Miss Granger, could you hand me that napkin, please?" Hermione reached down, picked up the napkin on the floor, and handed it to McGonagall. "Thank you, Miss Granger. Twenty points to Gryffindor," she said with a small smile and a wink.

* * *

"Minerva McGonagall never ceases to amaze me," Sirius said later that night at Number Twelve.

Remus chuckled and nodded in agreement. "She may be tough sometimes, but you can never accuse her of being unfair to her students."

"Very true."

"Well, it's late, and I haven't slept in two days. See you in the morning, Sirius." Remus yawned.

"Night, Moony." Sirius remained in the kitchen long after Remus had gone to bed thinking over what he'd heard throughout the day.

He would be assigning a team of Aurors to monitor Karkaroff's movements in the coming months. He found himself eager to see the Death Eater back in Azkaban to fulfill the sentence that had never should have ended in the first place. Death Eaters should never have been allowed to make deals with the Ministry, no matter what information they had. They could all thank Barty Crouch for that one. Though he hadn't been able to attend the trials for Death Eaters captured after Voldemort's first downfall, Remus told him of many of them. The only one of real importance in Sirius' opinion was Karkaroff's. The more Death Eaters on the loose, the tougher the job would be for the Order of the Phoenix to defeat them.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy now that Voldemort had Lily's and James' magic running through his dirty veins. In school, Sirius learned about how magic of a witch or wizard could be left behind after a tragic demise. And there was nothing more tragic that how the Potters died. James was murdered trying to save his family; Lily was murdered trying to save her only son.

The day would come when Harry would have to face Voldemort on his own. The day would come when Harry would have to either defeat Voldemort or face his own demise. Sirius' only mission in life was to put that day off for as long as possible.

The prophecy was rarely spoken of between Sirius, Remus, and Harry, but they all knew it would never go away. Not until it was fulfilled. As far as Sirius knew, Voldemort was still clueless about the second half of the prophecy's contents. As long as the prophecy remained safe, they could keep Harry safe.

But with a war, undetermined factors came into play. No matter how much he wanted to believe they would all come out of it alive, Sirius worried endlessly about the safety of his family and friends. He learned in the first war that nothing was certain; each day was darker than the one previous.

What would happen in the coming weeks was up to Voldemort. The Order couldn't do anything but continue their search for the Dark Lord until he wanted to make himself known. The longer it took for that moment to come, the worse it would be.

But Sirius Black was prepared to fight with all he had to protect his family. He wouldn't lie down and watch more families suffer like the last time.

What will come will come, but Merlin forbid the moment somebody close to Sirius was harmed again.


	14. Fourteen

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Fourteen_

_**Is the Ministry Causing Unnecessary Panic?**_

_Special Correspondent Rita Skeeter_

_Two months ago, Minister of Magic Amelia Bones announced the return of the feared wizard He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named to the magical community. Widespread panic was rampant throughout the country as families prepared themselves for an imminent attack._

_Since that announcement, however, there has been no sign of He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named. There have been no deaths or disappearances, as such as was the case at the beginning of the Dark Lord's reign in the first war. With these results, the popular question being asked is this: Is the Ministry causing panic for no reason?_

_According to Minister Bones, Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was the one to inform her of He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named's alleged return to power. _

_But who informed Dumbledore?_

_Your _Daily Prophet_ correspondent can exclusively reveal today that the information was passed onto Dumbledore by none other than the famed Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. According to his peers, Potter went into a kind of trance-like state the night before the announcement was made. When he woke, he began running down the Hogwarts corridors, shouting to anyone who would listen that He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named has returned. _

_Raised by Head Auror Sirius Black, the former "framed" prisoner of Azkaban, and a childhood friend of Black's, Norris Lupin, Harry Potter has been undoubtedly corrupted into believing these lies—_

* * *

"What the bloody _hell_ is this?" Sirius shouted in disgust at the newspaper before him.

Tonks, who had stayed the night at Grimmauld Place after a late Order meeting, jerked her head up from where she'd fallen asleep. "What's what?" she muttered tiredly with a large yawn.

"_This_," Sirius said, tossing the paper at his cousin.

"Ah, I see you've read the paper this morning," Remus said lightly, coming down the kitchen stairs.

"What the hell is she on about? Feeding him lies... that woman has got some issues," Sirius fumed.

"And you've just figured this out after everything she's written about you being a Death Eater?" Remus asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"You know what this is going to do, right? People are going to start believing this rubbish. She may be Rita Skeeter, but the more people hear this rubbish, the more they're going to start to wonder," Sirius said.

"Well..." Tonks said with raised eyebrows, slowly setting the paper down. "That's... er, nice. _Norris,_" she smirked, "could I get a cup of coffee?"

Remus glared playfully at her. "Anyone who calls me 'Norris' today is going to see why I was the best in Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."

"What? Are you going to send a Boggart after us?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"I wouldn't joke if I were you, Padfoot. I know what your Boggart is," Remus said casually. Sirius promptly shut his mouth and shivered.

"What I'd like to know," Tonks said, looking back at the paper, "is how she found out about Harry."

"Well, her facts were a bit twisted, but yes, that's a very good question," Remus agreed.

"It said a 'peer' gave her the information, so it had to have been a student," Sirius said.

"I'd bet anything it was Draco Malfoy," Remus said.

Sirius nodded his head.

"The Death Eater's son?" Tonks checked.

"None other," Sirius replied.

"But how would he know what happened? You said Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the boys in his dorm were the only ones who knew," Tonks said.

"You'd be surprised what he can do when he's determined enough. And he and Harry have never gotten along," Remus said darkly.

"Thank, Merlin," Sirius muttered.

* * *

In the first two months of Voldemort's return, the majority of the magical community remained on their guard. Not many frequented Diagon Alley unless it was an absolute necessity. The Leaky Cauldron had seen a drop in business due to the threat of Voldemort, and the area was strangely empty on normally busy days save the Aurors on guard duty.

Two weeks before Christmas, however, Remus noticed an immense change in behavior. Witches and wizards with small children filled the alley doing their Christmas shopping in high spirits. The fear that had previously been on their faces was gone without a trace. They were carefree, laughing and greeting one another while the children played in the snow banks unsupervised as if nothing had changed in the past months. It was disturbing to the werewolf to see how careless they were acting. Of course, it was good to see people getting on with their lives, but even the Aurors patrolling around seemed lax.

It had been a week since Rita Skeeter's article about the Ministry appeared in the _Prophet_, and it seemed Sirius, once again, was correct in his assumptions. The world was taking Skeeter's article to heart and disregarding everything the Ministry of Magic told them. Did they really believe the Ministry and Dumbledore would lie to them about something this important?

"...mad... the whole lot of them. And Dumbledore's their ring leader."

"But Harry Potter—"

"He's been raised by an ex-convict and a werewolf, Martha, what else do you expect..."

_Ah, so they think we're all mad?_ Remus thought bitterly. _Splendid..._

He entered Flourish and Blotts, nodded hello to the shopkeeper, and went instinctively to the defense section of the shop. He looked through the books and tried to find something he had not yet read; a tough feat to accomplish for Remus J. Lupin. One thing he did find was _Defend Your Mind: Occlumency for Beginners_.

Remus pulled down the dusty book from the top shelf and began to flip through it. He'd always had an interest in Occlumency, and in the years after Lily's and James' deaths, he'd begun to study it. While he was nowhere near the level of Dumbledore, he could successfully close off his thoughts and emotions to the world.

"...took the boy to St Mungo's."

"No! Why?"

"He was runnin' through the school, shouting at the top of his lungs that You-Know-Who was on the Quidditch pitch with dementors and dragons. Scared the other kids out of their wits."

Remus put the Occlumency book back on the shelf as calmly as possible and took one down about Dementors.

"Seemed like such a nice boy..."

"That Black's corrupted him. Just like Rita Skeeter said."

'_Studies have been performed after a victim receives the Dementor's Kiss to test the theory of Bordham Livingston that the soul can be returned to the body. The studies concluded, however—'_

"I've seen Sirius Black with that boy, and they seemed normal enough to me."

"Well, I heard from my son that Black keeps him locked up in a basement..."

Remus had enough. He put the book back on the shelf and left the store, fuming. _Where do they get this stuff?_ he wondered angrily. Not only did they believe the Ministry was lying to them about Voldemort, but they actually thought Sirius locked Harry in a bloody _basement_? How thick were they?

Sure it had been two months since the announcement, but the entire world knew enough about Voldemort to know that he wasn't just going to pop up at Madam Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade for a cup of tea. He would sit back and relish in the panic he'd created in a matter of hours. He would wait until the world let their guard down completely and unleash his terror upon them.

Harry wasn't having nightmares about Voldemort for fun. He didn't do it for attention; he got enough of that when he was awake, not having dreams. Since he was five years old, Harry had dreamed of what Voldemort was doing. The only people who had known about the dreams before now were Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore. Remus often wondered if Voldemort was aware of the connection he shared with Harry. After the first dream Harry experienced in the presence of one of his guardians, Dumbledore claimed to have seen a shadow of Voldemort behind the child's eyes. It had only been seen that day by the Hogwarts Headmaster, however; Sirius and Remus searched for signs of something in Harry's green eyes, but never saw a thing.

Possession was always probable for Harry due to the connection. Malfoy had most likely informed his master of Harry's connections with Dumbledore; a connection that could give Voldemort highly classified information. Occlumency could be the only way to protect Harry from the Dark Lord invading his mind. Two faces popped into Remus' mind at the initial thought: Albus Dumbledore and (Remus shivered) Severus Snape. If he even mentioned Snape giving Harry Occlumency lessons to Sirius, he may as well plan on being killed, stuffed, and used as a rug after the full moon.

Remus Apparated to a deserted alley around the corner from the hidden Ministry of Magic building and made his way to the "out of order" telephone booth. Inside the Ministry, he was immediately asked for his wand and Ministry issued identification card. The cards had been administered during the first war to monitor activities of the Ministry's idea of dark creatures.

"State your business," the Auror in front of Remus said dully.

"I'm here to see Sirius Black," Remus responded.

"Right. Level two, straight down the hall."

"Thank you," Remus said, taking back his belongings.

Even the Ministry's employees didn't seem overly worried about Voldemort anymore. A group of wizards stood beside the Fountain of Magical Brethren discussing Quidditch. A group of young witches were gathered around the elevators exchanging ideas for what to wear to the upcoming Ministry ball.

On level two, Remus took the familiar path to Auror Headquarters and entered through the large brown doors. Sirius had done an excellent job of keeping his Aurors focused on the threat of their world. Passing by cubicles, Remus noticed the majority of the Aurors were researching cases of known Death Eaters or going over reports from the first war.

A door at the very back of headquarters was closed door with a gold plate stating _Head Auror Sirius Black_. Remus knocked on the door and only had to wait a moment before he heard Sirius' welcoming voice.

"Go away!" he called through the door.

Remus smirked and opened the door regardless of Sirius' request. He found his best friend sitting across from Tonks and Kingsley rubbing his temples. "I thought I said—oh, hey, Remus, come on in," Sirius said, raising his head.

"You know, it's quite unprofessional to greet visitors in that manner, Sirius," Remus said patronizingly.

"Yeah, whatever. Sit, stay awhile. Want a butterbeer?" Sirius asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"No, thanks," Remus said, sitting in a chair beside Kingsley and watching as Sirius nearly feel asleep in his chair.

"Long day?"

"You could say that," Kingsley responded as Sirius merely grunted. "Bones is under pressure to take the Aurors out of Diagon Alley. Complaints have been made that we make the patrons 'uneasy'."

"They'll feel more uneasy if Voldemort shows up outside of Madame Malkin's tomorrow," Tonks said.

"I was just in Diagon Alley, actually. Nobody's taking this seriously. They all think we're mad; Dumbledore's the ring leader, of course. And I heard one woman saying Sirius locked Harry in the basement," Remus said.

"Only on weekends, and I feed him at the very least," Sirius said dryly with a smirk.

"How late do you have to stay tonight?" Remus asked.

"Not too late," Kingsley answered. "We have—"

A knock sounded on the door, causing Sirius to groan loudly. "Go away," he said. The door opened nonetheless and Dumbledore entered the room.

"Am I interrupting?" the headmaster asked.

"Not at all, sir. We were just giving Sirius a lesson in manners," Tonks said.

"A lost cause, I am afraid," Dumbledore said with a mock sad shake of his head and a wink to Sirius. "Kingsley, Nymph— er, _Tonks_, would it be possible to speak with Sirius and Remus alone for a moment?"

"Of course, Dumbledore. We've got to get back to work anyway. Come on, Tonks," Kingsley said. The two Aurors left the office as Sirius offered Dumbledore a seat.

"I've just been meeting with Minister Bones," Dumbledore began. "I've asked her to increase security around the Department of Mysteries."

"Why?" Sirius asked, his brow furrowing in thought.

Dumbledore cast a strong silencing charm around the room causing the two younger wizards to raise their eyebrows at one another. "I fear Voldemort may be after the prophecy," he said.

"What makes you think that?" Remus asked. He knew this day would come; he knew Voldemort would want to know the Prophecy in its entirety, but he had to know why Dumbledore thought it was happening now.

Dumbledore sighed. "Severus was summoned to meet with him last night. He wished to know how to get into the Hall of Prophecies undetected. It is not possible, of course, as Voldemort apparently realized last night, but I believe he will stop at nothing to gain access to the department."

* * *

After a meeting with Dumbledore that lasted nearly three hours, Sirius and Remus returned to Number Twelve.

"Snape is not giving him Occlumency lessons," Sirius said firmly over a late dinner.

"If it can help protect him—"

"No, Remus! We both know what he is! He hates you, he hates me, and he hates Harry. I agree on the lessons, but Snape _will not_ be doing it," Sirius said.

Remus massaged his temples, feeling a headache approaching quickly. "I'm not going to argue with you about this, Sirius. Dumbledore trusts Snape. Why, I don't know, but he does. Yes, he hates us, and I'm sure we will all agree that the feeling is mutual. But you have to understand there could be worse things for Harry than extra lessons with Severus Snape."

"Why can't Dumbledore do it?" Sirius asked stubbornly.

"I don't know, Sirius," Remus said honestly. He agreed with Sirius, but would never admit to it. He loved Harry more than anything in the world, and while he didn't want to see Harry go through the torture of more time than should be allowed with Snape, he also didn't want to see what Voldemort could do if he gained access to Harry's mind.

"It's not going to happen, Remus. I won't allow it," Sirius said.

"You know, you're not the only one who gets to make the decision," Remus said quietly, looking at his full plate of spaghetti.

"No, maybe not. But I am the only one who is seeing sense here. If Harry gets these lessons with Snape, you don't think that slimy Death Eater isn't going to do everything to make Harry miserable?" Sirius replied heatedly.

"Which is worse, Sirius? Harry being miserable for a few hours a week or Harry being possessed by Voldemort? Because that's a scenario we may have to deal with. We aren't dealing with a normal teenager here, Sirius. It's _Harry bloody Potter_. You know, the _Boy-Who-Lived_. There's a reason they call him that. There's a reason Voldemort wants him dead," Remus said, getting frustrated.

"There are people more qualified to teach him," Sirius said.

"Like who? Dumbledore has his reasons for not doing it, as he patiently explained when you started this back at the Ministry. Who else can do it?"

"You said you studied Occlumency."

"I _studied_ it, yes. But that was more to keep me from thinking about James, Lily, Peter, and you," Remus said flatly. "I know you despise Snape, Sirius, but for once think put your feelings about him aside and think about Harry's well-being."

"I do think about Harry's well-being, Remus. Every goddamned day. I know what the possibilities are, and I know what could happen if Voldemort gets that damn prophecy. But I don't trust Snape to prepare him," Sirius shouted.

Remus rubbed his hands on his face roughly. "Look, we can discuss this tomorrow. I'm tired and I need sleep." _Before I hit you, too,_ he added in his mind.

"Er, am I here at a bad time?" asked a hesitant voice from the basement stairs.

Sirius and Remus turned their heads and faced Tonks. "No, Tonks. We were just... discussing something. What's up?" Sirius asked.

"There's been an attack. The Dark Mark is floating above St. Mungo's."


	15. Fifteen

**Warning: Character death.**

**

* * *

**_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Fifteen _

A person who never before wandered the corridors of Hogwarts in the late hours of the night would find themselves slightly anxious to find a well lit room. Only a few torches were lit, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Not a sound could be heard this late; everybody was in the comfort of their own beds.

Well, almost everybody.

Though nobody passing by could see them, three fourth year Gryffindors crept cautiously through the corridors. In the lead was the messy-haired boy known as Harry Potter holding a worn piece of parchment handed down to him by his guardians. Harry's eyes scanned the Marauder's Map for any sign of a professor or Filch and his cat that could slow down their progress to Gryffindor Tower.

"Well?" Ron said thickly through a cake he'd gotten from the house-elves in the kitchens.

"Looks like we're—" Harry broke off as he laid eyes on the Headmaster's office. It was strangely full for this time at night with five dots around the room: _Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid, _and _Alastor Moody._ While Harry watched, the group began to leave Dumbledore's office, heading straight for the spot Harry, Ron, and Hermione, stood. "Move," Harry said quickly, pulling his friends around a corner.

"Harry, what—" Hermione began. Harry put his hand over her mouth and watched the hall.

Dumbledore was in the lead looking as calm as ever. McGonagall looked as if she'd been crying; Hagrid looked rather upset; and Snape and Moody looked as sinister as they ever did.

"Why St. Mungo's?" McGonagall asked quietly as they passed.

"Easy target," Moody growled. "Bones was forced to pull the Aurors out of there. Black tried to fight it, but there was nothing he could do."

The group of professors passed the trio quickly.

"What happened at St. Mungo's?" Ron whispered.

"No idea," Harry said slowly. "But I know how to find out."

No longer concerned with the cloak or map, Harry sprinted down the corridors to Gryffindor Tower with his friends right on his heels. Panting, he woke the Fat Lady and impatiently said the password. He motioned for Ron and Hermione to stay downstairs while he ran to the fourth years' dormitory and dug through his trunk as quickly as possible. He pulled out an old mirror from the bottom of his trunk and went back to the common room.

"What's that?" Ron asked as Harry sat in an armchair and began cleaning the old mirror with his t-shirt.

"Two-way mirror," Harry replied distractedly. "Sirius Black," he said clearly into the mirror. His reflection was the only thing in the glass. He tried again. "Remus Lupin." After a moment, the tired face of Harry's surrogate uncle appeared in the mirror.

"Harry, what are you doing still awake?" Remus asked, looking over his shoulder.

"What's happened?" Harry asked quickly.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "How did you..." He shook his head. "No, you know what? Never mind, I don't even want to know." He sighed. "There's been an attack."

"At St. Mungo's?"

Remus looked as if he wanted to know exactly how Harry found this information out, but decided it would be better not to. "Yes, at St. Mungo's."

Harry exchanged a glance with his friends. Both looked back at him horrified. "Was anybody killed?"

"A few," Remus said evasively. "Look, it's nothing you need to worry about at the moment. Go get some sleep; we'll contact you in the morning."

"All right. Good night," Harry said before Remus disappeared from the mirror.

"An attack at St. Mungo's?" Hermione whispered.

Harry nodded and stared at the empty fireplace. "Come on, let's get to bed. I'm sure it'll all be in the paper tomorrow..."

* * *

Remus put the two-way mirror back into his robes and turned around to face the large crowd around the hidden entrance to St. Mungo's. The emerald green Dark Mark was still high in the sky, blinking sinisterly down on them.

He made his way back through the crowd and found Sirius leaned against a wall looking lost and confused. Kingsley was saying something to him quietly, trying to gain a response and failing. He shrugged helplessly at Remus and went to speak with the other Aurors.

"All right, Padfoot?" Remus asked, wincing at the stupid question. He leaned against the wall next to Sirius and waited for a response.

"Fine," Sirius said weakly, watching Ministry officials Apparate away with a dozen bodies.

Remus shook his head sadly as he watched his friend. It was a look he'd known too well in the first war. Sirius had done everything one man could to protect his friends and loved ones, but when something like this happened, he looked like a lost little kid looking for his mother in Diagon Alley.

"Er, Sirius? The Minister needs a report," one of the younger Aurors said hesitantly.

Sirius nodded, wiped his eyes, and followed the Auror to where the Minister stood with Dumbledore.

"What do we have so far, Black?" Bones asked, noting the look on Sirius' face.

Sirius sighed. "Muggle witnesses say just after two in the morning a tall man with red eyes appeared out of thin air in front of a group of people. They say he whispered something and pointed a stick at them. A bright green light surrounded the group for a few seconds. When it disappeared, the group of people flew into the air for a few seconds, fell to the ground, and were dead before help could be called," he said flatly.

"It was only Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked. Bones jumped slightly at the sound of the name.

Sirius nodded, not looking into Dumbledore's eyes. "That's what they said."

"Who were the victims?"

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "The night shift of Healers and three hospital patients."

"Do you have a list of names?" Bones asked quietly.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly as Sirius listed the names of the victims. He had known a few of them during their time at Hogwarts. One he'd known well after Hogwarts as well.

"I'll need to make an announcement," Bones said. "Black, I think you've done all you can do right now. Why don't you go home and get some rest. If I need you, I'll let you know."

Sirius nodded and walked away. He could feel Dumbledore's eyes upon him as he approached Remus. Without a word, the two remaining Marauders Apparated to Order Headquarters.

* * *

Sirius stared at the tabletop in the basement kitchen as Dumbledore began the Order meeting the next night. He could feel them all looking at him out of the corners of their eyes, and wished they would just stop. He hadn't said a word to anybody but Remus that day, and he knew he was beginning to worry them. Sirius, however, couldn't have cared less at that moment. He tuned back into what Dumbledore was saying at the exact wrong moment.

"...the first loss of one of our own. Hestia Jones, along with her colleagues, was murdered by Lord Voldemort for simply going to work. She was a strong member of the Order of the Phoenix, as well as a magnificent Healer and a wonderful friend. She will be sorely missed." Dumbledore paused, and Sirius knew he was staring at the top of his black hair.

"Our guard was let down," Dumbledore continued. "This is what Voldemort wanted. He waited for the world to start believing the Ministry has lied to them before he attacked. Unfortunately, his plan was successful, and we are now in a full blown war. I encourage all of you to remain vigilant to your surroundings. Those employed by the Ministry of Magic are asked to keep their eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. I am also asking for volunteers to stand guard outside the Department of Mysteries. Our next meeting will explain the reasoning behind this.

"War is not easy, my friends," their leader said somberly. "There will be losses of friends and family. These are dark times, and the only thing we can do is remain strong and united. I call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to a close by asking you all to remember those lost, not only last night, but in the first war, as well. Good night."

Sirius remained in his chair as the rest of the Order stood and started to quietly leave. Remus was speaking with Dumbledore and Molly at the bottom of the kitchen stairs. Molly kept looking worriedly over Remus' shoulder at Sirius. Finally, they all left, leaving the two friends alone in the kitchen.

"Sirius," Remus began.

Sirius raised his head and looked at his friend. He seemed to be at a loss for what to say. He sighed. "I'm fine, Remus. Honestly," he added at Remus' look. "It's not like we were getting married or anything. She was a good shag, that's it. Nothing more. I'll see you in the morning."

Remus watched silently as Sirius moved quickly up the stairs and out of the kitchen. He had known things between Sirius and Hestia hadn't been serious, but he also knew Sirius better than anyone in the world. There had been a crack of emotion in Sirius' voice as he spoke, and Remus knew he was trying to lessen the importance of the relationship. He'd done the exact same thing during the first war.

Sirius cared deeply for Hestia, and her death was affecting him more than he would ever admit. Unfortunately for all of them, this was only the beginning. The war had begun, Voldemort was one up on the Order, and only a miracle could end it.

* * *

A memorial was held in the days after the first attack at St. Mungo's for those lost. The Minister of Magic spoke at lengths about the importance of standing together during dark times. She said that the only way to defeat Lord Voldemort—she actually spoke his name; a first ever for a Minister of Magic—was to believe they could make it through the tough days, and to stand together.

After the memorial, Sirius returned to the Ministry to resume his work. He sat behind his desk with a new determination to end the war before it went too far. For hours, he went through old Death Eater reports, attack reports from the first war, and Azkaban prisoner records.

At the bottom of the stack were two files Sirius had never noticed. How they had never crossed his desk was a mystery to the Auror. Hesitantly, he opened the first folder and smiled at the picture on top. It was a photo of the Potter family smiling and waving at him. Harry couldn't have been more than six months old at the time as he sat in Lily's arms. The report showed facts about the family—birth and death dates for Lily and James, the date of their marriage, details on their deaths—things Sirius already knew.

He closed the Potter file and opened the folder beneath it. His own face glared back at him from a black and white Azkaban photo. His release papers were just under it along with records of the crimes he had been accused of.

Without Remus, Sirius would probably still be in Azkaban, rotting away in his small dingy cell. He owed everything to Remus—his freedom, gaining custody of Harry, his happiness, everything he'd built over the last eight years. Sirius wouldn't allow the things that happened in the first war to happen again. He and Remus would not be separated by mistrust.

Sirius had treated Remus like... well, like shit, during the last few months before their world fell apart. Sirius learned the hard way that a little misinformation could do terrible things.

Sirius laid his head on his desk and closed his eyes, letting his thoughts carry him back thirteen years.

* * *

_Sirius followed Lily, James, and Harry through the Hogwarts halls to the Room of Requirement. The Order would be meeting there this week due to the lack of anywhere else to go. Their location had been leaked to Voldemort three times, making it difficult for them to find anywhere else to meet._

_James held the door open for Lily and Harry, but grabbed Sirius' arm to stop him before he entered. "What?" Sirius muttered to his friend._

"_You're sure about this?" James said quietly, looking over his shoulder into the room. _

_Sirius followed his line of sight and saw Lily greeting Remus with a hug. He sighed. "Look, I don't want to believe it either, Prongs, but the facts remain: somebody is after you, besides Voldemort, I mean. And I'm telling you I know what I heard. The werewolves are on his side, whether they want to be or not—Remus is no exception. Just because he's supposedly our best friend doesn't mean a damn thing in war."_

"_Yeah, but... Come on, Sirius... it's _Remus_," James said. "The same Remus who punched Regulus in sixth year for calling you a Mudblood lover."_

"_People change, James," Sirius said moving past his friend into the room._

_He heard James sarcastically mutter something along the lines of "no shit, Padfoot" before he followed._

_As he sat down, he looked to the other side of the large table and locked eyes with Remus. There was something in the werewolf's eyes he believed, at the time, was guilt. Years later, he would realize Remus had held the same amount of mistrust for him that Sirius had for Remus._

_James sat beside Sirius as the meeting began, leaving Lily with a confused look on her face. James, Sirius, and Remus never sat apart during Order meetings. _

_Dumbledore began by filling them in on new information he'd gained from his mysterious source. When he finished, Remus stood and began a report he'd prepared on the giants that had been contacted by Voldemort. Sirius tuned his friend out and began a game of Hangman with James on a scrap piece of parchment. At the end of Remus' report, Sirius sat the parchment aside and looked across the table at Lily. The redhead was looking angrily back at him._

_At the end of the meeting, Sirius and James stood and waited for Lily to bring Harry around the table. "What the hell is your problem?" she whispered harshly to the two wizards._

"_What? We were playing a game. Since when is that a crime?" Sirius smirked. _

"_You need to grow up, Sirius. I don't know what's gotten into you, and I don't give a damn what you _think_ you heard, but _Remus Lupin is not a Death Eater_," Lily practically growled._

_Sirius looked over to where Remus was talking with Dumbledore. This hadn't been the first meeting where Sirius paid no attention to what Remus had to say. In fact, it had been going on for months, and Lily was obviously fed up with it. Sirius, however, was stubborn; he knew what he heard, and he wasn't backing down._

"_Hello, everyone," Remus said, approaching the three of them. "Sirius, could I speak to you in private?"_

"_Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Lily and James," Sirius said slightly childishly._

"_Actually, no, I can't. What I have to say shouldn't be heard by Harry. Please," Remus said._

_Sirius exchanged a look with James. "Fine, but make it fast; I've got a date tonight. Prongs, I'll see you at work tomorrow. Good night, Lily."_

_Remus led his friend out of the Room of Requirement and down the Hogwarts corridors the Marauders had learned so well. They stopped in front of a large window overlooking the school grounds. The moon was nearly full, reminding Sirius of the Marauders' late night excursions from their school days._

Those days are over,_ Sirius thought firmly. He looked away from the window and back at Remus. The werewolf was also looking outside with an unreadable expression on his face. _

"_What happened, Sirius?" Remus asked quietly._

"_I don't know what you're talking about." Sirius sighed, examining his fingernails._

_Remus laughed humorlessly. "You don't know what I'm talking about," he repeated flatly. "Let me give you a little reminder, shall I? Over the past two months, you've avoided me every chance you could. I've heard you and James talking. And don't you dare interrupt me," he added as Sirius began to speak. "I've heard what you seem to think, Sirius. I don't know where you heard it, and to tell you the truth, I don't give a damn. But I've heard things too, _Padfoot_, and I swear on everything I hold dear, if you hurt Lily, James, or Harry, I will kill you. I may be perceived as the 'calm one', or whatever the hell you three think I am, but you know better than anybody that I can, and will, defend my friends, even if it means my death. Just keep that in mind, and we can all live happily ever after."_

_Remus turned and walked away, causing Sirius to grow angry. Nobody walked away from him without hearing what he had to say._

"_There you go, Remus, run back to your master before the full moon tomorrow," Sirius said._

_Remus stopped dead in his tracks and turned back around slowly. "What did you say?" he growled. Even in the moonlight, Sirius could see his eyes narrowing dangerously._

"_You heard me," Sirius said calmly, reaching into his robes for his wand._

"_You think you know everything, don't you, Sirius?" The question had been whispered, but Sirius heard it loud and clear. "Think what you want, Sirius, but don't do something you're going to regret."_

"_Go howl at the moon, werewolf," Sirius growled._

_Remus pulled his wand out and advanced on Sirius within a second. Sirius had his own wand pointed at his friend's throat. Before a curse could be uttered, however, a familiar voice came from down the hall. "What the hell are you two doing?" Lily cried, running and stepping between the two wands._

"_Get out of it, Lily," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "This doesn't concern you." He glared at Remus with a hatred he had, in the past, reserved for his blood family._

"_Lower your wands! NOW!" James yelled, crossing the hall, holding a crying Harry. Sirius looked at his godson, and slowly, lowered his wand. Remus did the same._

"_What has gotten into you two?" James asked, looking at his best friends in horror and disbelief._

_Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't._

"_Sirius..."_

_He looked at his friends. Remus was angrier than any of them had ever seen him; Lily was disgusted; James didn't seem to know what to do. Harry reached over and began poking Sirius' shoulder._

"_Sirius!"_

* * *

Sirius jumped and finally realized that he was still in his office at the Ministry. He looked at his watch: ten-thirty at night it said. He turned his head and spotted Remus looking back at him with raised eyebrows.

"Hey," Sirius said drowsily, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Hey. You okay?" Remus asked. "Kingsley said you've been sleeping all day."

"I'm fine," Sirius replied. "Just... had a dream."

"What kind of dream?" Remus asked concernedly.

Sirius regarded his friend thoughtfully for a moment. They'd come a long way since that night at Hogwarts, and Sirius would die before he ruined the only friendship he had left. "Not important," he said with a small smile. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

"Okay..." Remus said slowly, following Sirius from the office. They walked side by side through the darkened Ministry to the Atrium. Before entering the fireplace, Sirius began to chuckle. Remus turned his head and looked at his friend, confused. "What?" he asked.

"You punched Regulus." Sirius laughed.

"What?" Remus asked again with a raised eyebrow.

"Sixth year. You punched him. I'd forgotten all about it until just now." Sirius continued to laugh.

Remus snorted a laugh. "Oh yeah." He smirked.

"Thanks, Moony," Sirius said, sincerely, not merely talking about the Regulus situation.

Remus was slightly confused, but smiled anyway. "Anytime, Padfoot."


	16. Sixteen

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Sixteen_

On Christmas Eve, Sirius and Remus walked through the Hogwarts halls in their best dress robes. Dumbledore had invited them to attend the Yule Ball, a traditional event in the Triwizard Tournament. It was mostly an excuse for the two of them to get away from Number Twelve and the Ministry for a night. Neither of them had done much else besides work since the attack on St Mungo's, and the Headmaster insisted they join in on the festivities.

"Remember our graduation ball, Moony?" Sirius asked.

Remus chuckled. "Not clearly. But I suppose that is due to the firewhiskey you and James 'accidentally' spilled into the punch."

"That was an accident," Sirius said earnestly. "It's not like we wanted to see McGonagall drunk. Although, I have to admit, that was an interesting sight. Never seen anything quite like that..."

"Well, just keep in mind that you are no longer a Hogwarts student, and your godson is in attendance."

"Are you trying to say Harry has never had firewhiskey?" Sirius said with a grin.

"If he has, I sure as hell didn't give it to him," Remus said, looking accusingly at his friend.

"Don't look at me like that," Sirius said. They approached the Great Hall doors and Sirius opened them. "After you, Mr. Moony," he said with a bow.

"Why thank you, Mr. Padfoot," Remus said with his own bow. He stood straight and looked into the hall. "Wow," he muttered.

Sirius turned and looked into the hall as well. The decorations were more magnificent than Sirius had ever seen them—probably due to the guests in attendance. The band, the Weird Sisters, Sirius recalled, were playing a lively tune while the students danced in their own best dress robes.

"Damn, we missed the feast," Sirius muttered as they entered the party.

"I'm sure Dumbledore will feed you if you promise not to get his students wasted," Remus said.

"Does that include the Slytherins?"

"Yes."

"What fun is that?"

Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled. _Even after the last two weeks, he's the same old Padfoot_, he thought.

"Good evening, boys," Dumbledore greeted them over the music.

"Good evening, Albus. How are things going so far?" Remus asked, shaking the Headmaster's hand.

"Very well, indeed, Remus. Help yourselves to refreshments. Oh, and Sirius, I will be monitoring the punch tonight," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

Sirius laughed. "I'll be on my best behavior, sir —"

"Which isn't saying much," Remus muttered to Dumbledore.

"—Marauder's honor," Sirius finished with an elbow into Remus' arm.

Dumbledore winked at the pair of them and went to dance with Madame Maxime. "There's an odd pair," Remus said.

"I found an odder pair, Moony," Sirius said with a grin as he walked to a side table. Harry and Ron sat together sipping butterbeer. Ron was glaring out into the crowd while Harry shook his head knowingly.

"Hello, gentlemen," Sirius said, sitting beside his godson.

"Hey, Sirius. Hey, Remus," Harry smiled at his guardians.

Remus ruffled Harry's hair and sat next to Sirius. "Where're your dates?" he asked with a grin.

Harry flushed and muttered something.

"What was that, Harry?" Sirius asked, leaning closer to Harry.

"We don't have dates," Harry said a bit louder through clenched teeth.

"A Potter man without a date? Wow, never thought I would see the day," Sirius said in mock-disbelief.

"Shut up, Sirius," Harry said.

"Oh, come on, Harry. There's nothing wrong with going stag."

Remus and Harry groaned loudly. "Bad joke, Sirius. _Really_ bad joke," Remus said, shaking his head.

"It wasn't that bad," Sirius muttered defensively.

"So where's Hermione?" Remus asked. He raised his eyebrows at the slight growl that emitted from Ron.

"She's here with Viktor Krum," Harry whispered to his guardians. "Ron's not too happy."

"She's here with Krum? Go, Hermione," Sirius said. He looked out into the crowd and spotted Krum, but didn't see any sign of the fourth year girl. "Where is she? Krum's dancing with someone else."

"Uh, no," Harry said, smirking. "That's Hermione."

Sirius choked on the butterbeer he'd stolen from Harry. "No way," he muttered. Looking closer, he realized it was, indeed, Harry's best friend. "Holy hell."

"She's only fourteen, Padfoot," Remus whispered jokingly.

"Shut it, Moony!"

* * *

Due to Barty Crouch's recent imprisonment, Percy Weasley had taken over in the judging if the Triwizard Tournament. Harry and Ron had been smart enough to duck out early to avoid listening to another of Percy's speeches about how he knew something was off about his former boss. Sirius and Remus, however, weren't as lucky. They were forced to endure twenty minutes of Percy. Both of them liked the third oldest Weasley son immensely, but there was only so much of him a person could take at a time.

They excused themselves when Hagrid began to cross the room to speak with them. Remus noticed immediately the Hogwarts groundskeeper had attempted to spruce himself up for the evening. Whether it was for the event, or for Madame Maxime (who Hagrid continued to glance at during their conversation), Remus wasn't sure. But it was nice to see Hagrid smiling so much.

Later in the evening, Sirius convinced McGonagall to dance with him. She seemed understandably reluctant—she'd seen Sirius dance before. But in the end, she agreed and rewarded Sirius with a rare laugh when he dipped her at the end of the song.

"And they say cats and dogs don't mix," Dumbledore said, chuckling, as he approached Remus.

Remus laughed. "I think Minerva has always had a soft spot for Sirius," he said, recalling the hug she gave Sirius years ago.

"I must agree," Dumbledore said with a smile. "And how is Sirius, by the way? He seems in high spirits tonight."

"He'll be okay, Albus. He hasn't gotten over Hestia's death by any means, but he'll manage," Remus said.

"Headmaster," said a voice from behind them. Snape paid Remus no attention as he leaned forward to whisper something to Dumbledore. The Headmaster nodded and whispered something back. Snape nodded once and swept quickly from the Great Hall, his robes billowing behind him.

"Sir?" Remus questioned quietly.

"He's been summoned," Dumbledore said in the same quiet voice.

Remus felt his stomach sink. The war hadn't stopped just because Hogwarts was hosting a ball, but Remus hoped at the very least, things would be normal for Christmas. Of course, nothing could possibly be normal in a world with Lord Voldemort, no matter how much they wanted it. They were in a war. It stopped for no man, or werewolf in this case.

"There is nothing we can do at the moment, Remus. Please, enjoy your evening," Dumbledore said before walking to Moody.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, noticing Remus' troubled face.

"Tell you later," Remus responded. "Let's go find Harry and say good night."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "It's only ten-thirty, Remus," he said.

"I know, but I'm tired," Remus lied.

Sirius sighed and followed his friend out to the courtyard they'd last seen Harry and Ron head off to.

* * *

"So, I'm guessing Voldemort doesn't celebrate Christmas, then?" Sirius said later that night.

"I suppose not," Remus responded, stretching his arms above his head.

"You think something's going to happen soon?"

"Something's already happened, Sirius, it's just a matter of what will happen next," Remus said flatly.

The two friends sat in the upstairs sitting room enjoying a freshly opened bottle of firewhiskey Dung sent them for Christmas. They were waiting for word from Dumbledore about the Death Eater meeting that had taken place. If something was going to happen, they were sure to be contacted. But by two in the morning, they gave up on Dumbledore and enjoyed their Christmas morning.

That afternoon, Sirius and Remus were treated to a large Christmas dinner with all the trimmings courtesy of Molly Weasley. The rest of the Weasleys that weren't at Hogwarts joined them as well as Dung and Kingsley; Tonks arrived later in the evening for dessert. It was the first time in months that they'd gathered together at Number Twelve without a tense atmosphere surrounding them. Order business was not to be discussed, per Sirius; they all needed to relax in these times, or they would end up pulling out their hair from stress.

Sirius was trying to enjoy the time he had with his friends. Really, he was. But something was holding him back, and it didn't take a Legilimens to figure it out. Hestia had meant more to him than he'd ever told anybody, Hestia included. He supposed it could have been love, but he hadn't felt that for a woman since Hogwarts...

No, he wouldn't think about that; Christmas was supposed to be a happy time.

Hestia had become something he could count on to be there. If he didn't feel like sitting at home with Remus, he could go to her. It was so much more than casual sex, and they'd worked hard to keep their relationship a private one; it was easier to deal with each other in their own way without pressure from those around them. Both had been hesitant to label what they had for fear of being pushed apart. Hestia was so much like Sirius in that aspect; she didn't want to rush their relationship more than they had; if something happened and they decided, in the distant future, they wanted more, the other would be there. But Sirius had taken it for granted.

Then there was Remus and Harry. Sirius preferred his family—odd as they may seem to the outside world—to stick together. If he and Hestia had gotten married, Harry would probably have come to live with them, leaving Remus alone again. And Sirius couldn't do that to his friend.

Sirius shook his head. Since when did he ever think about something as complicated as marriage?

_You've thought about it before_, said a voice in the back of his head.

_That was a long time ago,_ he thought back firmly to the voice.

"Sirius?" Tonks said from next to him.

Sirius started and turned to his cousin. "Huh? Sorry, zoned out for a minute," he said with a weak smile.

Tonks chuckled. "You all right?"

"I'm... no," he answered honestly.

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "No?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, Tonks, I'm miserable to be truthful," he said in a casual way only he could manage. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see how long it will take to drown myself in the shower."

Tonks raised her other eyebrow as he sat down his full glass of wine on the table and walked up the stairs. She wasn't sure if he was being serious or if he just needed some time alone.

"What's going on?" Remus asked. He'd watched Sirius leave their small party and was starting to worry for his friend's sanity; he hadn't even finished his wine.

"He's going to see if he can drown himself in the shower," Tonks said.

Remus sighed. "Well, Happy Christmas," he said sarcastically. "I guess this is the end of the party."

Once he'd seen everybody out of the house, and thanked Molly profusely for the meal, Remus started up the stairs to find Sirius. None of the showers were running, and every bedroom in the house seemed empty. He came upon the attic door, noticing the door was slightly ajar. Thinking it was probably just Kreacher hiding again, Remus made to close the door. That was before he heard the weak, cracking voice of his best friend. He started up the stairs quickly, and heard the voice growing a bit louder—not that that was saying much...

"R-r-_riddikulus_," Sirius muttered quietly, staring into a corner.

Remus turned and stopped dead in his tracks. James Potter was lying in the middle of the floor in front of Sirius, blood flowing freely from his head. _Crack_ Lily. _Crack_ Harry. _Crack_ Remus. _Crack—_

Remus' face was emotionless as he watched Voldemort materialize on top of what had once been an old trunk. Now it was a pile of dead Order members. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hestia, Molly, Arthur, Dung, Tonks, Kingsley, they were all dead.

"NO!" Sirius cried. "_Riddikulus,_" he tried again. _Crack—_

Sirius was hunched over two bodies: Remus and Harry.

Remus couldn't take anymore. "_Riddikulus_!" he said loudly and firmly. The Boggart was shattered into tiny pieces and eventually faded away into nothing. Jolting himself from his thoughts, Remus moved to kneel beside Sirius. His friend had his knees pulled to his chest, and he was shaking. "Sirius, it was just a Boggart," he said softly.

Sirius sniffed. "Just a Boggart..." he muttered.

"Just a Boggart," Remus repeated, rubbing Sirius' back comfortingly.

Sirius choked out a laugh. "Some Auror I am, eh? Can't even deal with a bloody Boggart on my own," he said.

"It happens, mate. Remember the flesh-eating slug in Lily and James' basement? Lily was screaming bloody murder while we were all upstairs. Peter was the first to get to her, and it turned into half slug, half Kneazle. Remember that?" Remus said with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

Sirius laughed. "Yeah... I never understood the Kneazle thing, though..." he said thoughtfully.

"I think he was bitten by one as a kid or something," Remus said. It wasn't often that they could talk about Peter Pettigrew so lightly. Sirius and Remus despised the man with every fiber of their being, but after he'd received the Dementor's Kiss, they decided he'd had enough punishment, and they could move on.

"Do you remember James' Boggart?" Sirius asked with a half-grin.

Remus smiled. "How could I forget? How in the bloody hell did he come to fear rabid teddy bears?"

"No idea." Sirius laughed.

"So why were you up here in the first place?" Remus asked quietly.

Sirius' smile faded and he sighed. "I was looking for some pictures. But it can wait; I need a drink."

Remus chuckled as Sirius stood from the floor and helped him up. Before leaving the attic, Remus turned and looked at the spot the Boggart had last been in. It had just been a Boggart this time, but how long before something more horrific happened to them?

_Welcome to war, Moony,_ he thought wryly before joining Sirius.

* * *

Harry was once again wandering the Hogwarts corridors late at night. This time, however, he'd decided to go out without Ron and Hermione. For the first year since he'd started Hogwarts, Harry remained at the school for Christmas, thus spending the day without his guardians.

Sirius and Remus had contacted him via the two-way mirrors early in the day to wish him a happy Christmas and to see if he'd enjoyed the gifts they'd gotten him. Sirius sent him a brand-new wizard chess set (his last set had been beaten to dust by Ron), and Remus bought him a set of Defense books he'd been interested in. Harry had always enjoyed the subject. He supposed it was partly because of his past, but mostly from growing up with Remus.

Harry exited the large Hogwarts doors easily and moved stealthily through the snow across the grounds to the lake. The last time he'd had a late night excursion across Hogwarts grounds, he reminisced as he sat down on a bench, he'd been kidnapped by Wormtail, beaten, and nearly killed. It probably wasn't a smart thing for him to be doing now that Voldemort had fully returned, but living with Sirius the majority of his life gave him a sense of recklessness many didn't possess.

So far, the war with Lord Voldemort was already tough for Harry to deal with. Hestia Jones had become a part of Harry's family over the years he'd known her, and now she was gone. According to Remus, Sirius was "dealing with it." What that meant exactly, Harry wasn't sure. Every time he'd talked to his godfather since her death, he seemed as normal as he could ever be.

Harry never experienced death firsthand as far as he could remember. His parents were murdered when he was a year old, and he only knew them through photographs and stories from his guardians. His aunt and uncle had also been murdered when he was six, but he didn't think much of them anyway. Not to mention he hadn't even been told about it until he was ten years old. Unfortunately for the fourth year, he would most likely have to get used to seeing people die. It was a part of war, after all.

"You do know, Mr. Potter, that it is long past curfew and quite cold out here," said a quiet voice from behind him.

Harry jumped and turned to face Albus Dumbledore. He began to stutter what would have surely been a long-winded excuse, but Dumbledore help up a hand to stop his progress.

"No need to explain, Harry. I believe I understand very well the need for a late night stroll in the snow," Dumbledore said with his twinkling eyes. "But we should perhaps move indoors. It would not be beneficial to either of us to explain to Madam Pomfrey—or to your very overprotective guardians for that matter—why you have come down with hypothermia."

Harry smiled and followed the Headmaster towards the school, and up to his office.

"Hello, Fawkes." Harry smiled as he sat across from Dumbledore's desk. The phoenix flew from his perch and landed on Harry's knee.

Dumbledore placed a cup of hot chocolate before Harry and sat across from him. "Fawkes has always been quite fond of you, Harry. Since the moment you first met, there has been a bond between the two of you that even I cannot match."

"Why is that, sir?" Harry asked curiously, stroking Fawkes' feathers.

Dumbledore sighed and regarded Harry and Fawkes thoughtfully for a moment, as if struggling with a decision. "I believe your wand contains a feather from a phoenix, am I correct?" Harry nodded. "The feather in your wand was not taken from any old phoenix, Harry. It was given to Mr. Ollivander by Fawkes. And I believe my phoenix has always known that you would be the second wand's owner."

Harry's mouth dropped open as he looked from Dumbledore's smiling face to Fawkes. "It came from Fawkes?" Harry whispered in disbelief.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said.

Harry's brow furrowed as he thought back to the day he purchased his wand. Sirius and Remus told him he had to get it on his own; it was the way of all the Marauders—and Lily—had gotten their first wands. After five tries with different wands, Ollivander finally found the one that worked for Harry (holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches). "Curious," the old man had said. "Very curious." When Harry inquired as to what was curious, Ollivander explained about Voldemort sharing the same wand core as Harry, from the same phoenix.

"Professor," he said slowly. "Does that mean Voldemort's wand has Fawkes' feather as well?"

Dumbledore looked deep into Harry's green eyes—_Lily's eyes_, he thought—as if trying to see into Harry's very soul. "That is what it means, Harry, yes," he said softly.

"Oh," Harry said. That would make the two wands brothers…

"However, it is the manner in which the wand is used that makes the difference," Dumbledore said. "Lord Voldemort chose many years ago to use his wand for evil. He's done things, Harry, that neither you nor I would ever dream of doing. You, on the other hand, have the power to decide in which direction you wish to move."

"But the prophecy," Harry said. "I have to kill Voldemort in order to live..."

"That is true." Dumbledore sighed. "That path was chosen for you before you were born. In order to defeat Voldemort, you must do something you may be rather reluctant to do. I've said this to many people, Harry, your mother and father included: War sometimes forces us into situations we would rather not be in. We must choose to be strong, or to crumble in fear of our enemies.

"Your parents were two of the strongest people I ever had the honor and pleasure to meet. They were stubborn in their beliefs of good and evil. Lord Voldemort tried, on three occasions, to persuade them to join him. They refused, of course, and in the end they were murdered. Death is a senseless thing, Harry, but a lesson to be learned from Lily and James Potter is that death can be the ultimate defiance. Neither of them wanted to die that night; they wanted to see you grow up to become the man they'd always hoped you would be.

"What I am trying to say is this, Harry: Do not fear death; you will forget to live. Stand up for what you believe in, and in the end, good will prevail over the evil. Most of all, Harry, stand with your friends and family through it all. They will guide you in the right direction whether you notice it at the time or not. Do you understand what I'm saying, Harry?"

Harry nodded, feeling a lump building in his throat. "Yes, sir," he whispered hoarsely.

"Good," Dumbledore said simply. "Now, I believe our cocoa is growing cold, so why don't you head back to Gryffindor Tower with that magnificent map you possess, and get some sleep."

Harry looked away from Fawkes, surprised. "How'd you know about the map?" he blurted.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I know a lot more than I let on, Harry. Now, off you trot."

Harry left the Headmaster's office with a new respect for Dumbledore. Ever since he'd met the old man at the age of five, he'd enjoyed spending time with him. Far beyond just being a Headmaster to him, Harry felt as if Dumbledore as the grandfather he never knew. Sure he was a little strange at times, but Harry had grown used to it over the years, and had come to love it about him.

Like always, Dumbledore had been correct; as long as Harry chose the correct path, he could end the war. As long as he had his friends and family beside him, he could defeat Voldemort. For the first time since he learned of the Prophecy, Harry believed he could do anything. He wouldn't allow his friends and family could suffer if he could help it.


	17. Seventeen

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Seventeen_

Sirius Apparated in front of the cottage in mid-January and found himself in thigh-high snow. He groaned at his own stupidity for not Apparating inside the cottage, but slowly made his way to the front door. He hadn't stepped foot in the home Remus had grown up in for months due to the lack of proper security.

He opened the door and cursed loudly, something he'd been doing often in recent weeks. The house was a complete mess. Photos were lying broken and torn on the carpet while their subjects had taken refuge in a tattered corner. Furniture was broken, doors were lying on the floor, and there was a strange smell coming from the bathroom. Somebody had been in their home, and judging by the message left above Sirius' bed, it was Death Eaters.

'_Mudblood Lovers Will Pay,' _the message read. It wasn't the most creative message, in Sirius's humble opinion; he'd seen better.

When he made his way to Remus' room, he was actually glad his friend had been too busy with Order business to join him that day. Word had obviously spread that a werewolf resided here; the entire room was coated thickly in pure silver. Just the smell of it would have been enough to send Remus to the hospital for weeks.

He walked into the kitchen and sat down in the only unbroken chair that remained. There was still a large dent in the refrigerator from when Malfoy had broken in and fought with Remus. Sirius never asked his friend who went headfirst into the refrigerator that night, but remembering the results of the blood test he'd done, he probably didn't want to know.

Sirius sighed and looked around the kitchen. His eyes locked on a folded piece of parchment stuck to the backdoor. His name was written clearly on the front of the parchment in unfamiliar handwriting. "_Accio _parchment," he said.

The letter landed neatly before him and he stared at it for long minutes, debating on whether or not he should really open it.

"It's just a bloody letter," he reasoned with himself. "Nothing terrible ever came from reading a letter, right?" Sirius shook his head. "I really need to stop talking to myself."

Using his wand, Sirius opened the letter. The moment the tip of his wand touched the parchment, however, the wand caught fire.

"Shit!" Sirius cried, dropping his wand to the floor. He tried stomping on it to stop it from burning, but in the end, he realized it was a magical fire, and nothing could stop it. He could do nothing but watch his most prized possession burn to ash. "What the hell..." he muttered, looking back to the innocent-looking letter sitting in front of him.

_Sirius Black_, it said.

_I first must commend you on your efforts to capture my Death Eaters and myself. You've done well thus far, and I look forward to seeing you once again. It has been a long time—eight years if my memory serves me correctly—and I believe we are long overdue for a meeting._

_I write you with a warning, Sirius. I've taken your life away from you before, and I will do it again. I've taken your lovely girlfriend from this world recently, just like I've done all those years ago. I've taken your precious Potter friends, as well. I will not hesitate, Sirius, to take away your beloved godson and werewolf._

_That is, unless you do me one trivial favor: Meet with me on the evening of 18 March. We shall talk about our many differences, and perhaps reach an agreement. You, Sirius, are the last of the Blacks. You are the last of one of the most prestigious bloodlines in our world. And you, Sirius—whether you believe it or not—can end this terrible war._

_I will be in contact, Sirius. I look forward to a reply._

There was no signature, but Sirius didn't need one to know who—or what, I should say—had written this letter. So Lord Voldemort wanted to meet with him. Sirius laughed out loud at the very idea. He may be rash and reckless at times, but he most definitely was not stupid. Hell no, he wouldn't meet with Voldemort. He'd received threats against his family's life in the past, and now that the war was in full swing, this wouldn't be the last of them.

Sirius stood and stared back down at the letter. "Bastard," he muttered. "Ruin my wand. Here's my reply: Go suck a dragon's egg."

* * *

Remus sat down on his bedroom floor and wiped a layer of dust off an old trunk he'd found in the attic of Number Twelve. It was Sirius' Hogwarts trunk, and he was curious as to how it had gotten back here. After graduation, Sirius had his own flat that he'd purchased with money left to him by his Uncle Alphard. Remus supposed it was possible Sirius had regained the trunk from the Ministry after his release from Azkaban and brought it back here for safe keeping.

Biting his lip, wondering if something was going to jump out at him, Remus opened the trunk and smiled. There was a stack of photos lying atop old school books and school reports. The first photo was one of Sirius and James in Hogsmeade during what looked to be third year. The two boys looked like brothers with their matching Hogwarts robes and jet black hair. The only difference was that Sirius' hair was neat and perfect, while James' stuck up in every direction. The other photos were mostly the same, showing the Marauders at different ages.

Remus choked back a sob as his eyes landed on the last photo in the stack. He remembered the day as if it were yesterday. It was the day Lily and James moved into their home at Godric's Hollow. The photo was of three young couples looking exhausted but elated.

Lily and James were there, of course, smiling widely at one another and exchanging the occasional kiss.

Sirius stood next to them with his arms around the waist of a tall brown-haired witch with dark blue eyes. Julia had been her name, and she was the first and only girl Remus could ever remember Sirius saying he loved. They'd gotten together in seventh year, just after Lily and James.

Three months before Harry had been born, Sirius had spoken candidly to James and Remus about proposing to her. The night he'd planned on doing it, however, Sirius arrived at the home she shared with her parents and found the three of them dead in the kitchen, the Dark Mark floating high above their home. Sirius had been inconsolable for months afterwards. The only thing that finally broke him from the depression he'd fallen into was Harry's birth. The day his godson was born was like a light had been turned on in Sirius; he had a new reason to wake up in the morning, a new reason to stay alive in the war. It was safe to say that Harry had saved Sirius' life.

On the other side of Lily and James, stood a nineteen-year-old Remus with his arm around a blonde-haired woman with the most beautiful hazel eyes he'd ever seen. Naomi. They'd dated during Hogwarts, starting in sixth year, and had even been engaged.

Their story wasn't the typical Remus tells girl he's a werewolf, girl runs away. Naomi had known about Remus since they met, and she couldn't have cared less. She wasn't murdered by Death Eaters like Julia had been. She did, however, break Remus' heart into a thousand pieces.

A week after Lily and James had been murdered, and Sirius was sent to Azkaban, Naomi came to Remus and told him she'd gotten the Dark Mark a few days before Halloween. Her reasons were never clear, but they made a silent agreement that night never to see each other again. Remus never reported her to the Ministry, and she never contacted him after that night. He'd told Sirius that Naomi had moved to America just after Lily and James died to deal with their deaths on her own. As far as he knew, Naomi was still in England somewhere; she'd never been captured by Ministry officials, as far as he know.

"That was a good day, eh?" Sirius said from behind him.

Remus smiled. "Yeah, it was."

Sirius sat beside his friend and began to flip through the photos lying next to Remus' foot. "So I got a letter from Voldemort today," he said casually.

"That's nice," Remus said before the words registered in his mind. His mouth dropped open and he turned to Sirius. "You _what?_"

"Yeah, he wants me to meet with him to 'discuss our many differences.' Oh, and I need a new wand," Sirius added.

"You got a letter from Voldemort?" Remus repeated.

"Yes, and it set my bloody wand on fire."

"Where is this letter?"

"Probably still at the cottage. But I don't think you should go out there just yet. Your bedroom is laced with silver," Sirius answered as if discussing recent Quidditch scores.

"You're insane, Padfoot," Remus said, shaking his head.

"Thank you, Moony."

* * *

A few days later, Sirius returned to the cottage accompanied by Kingsley to retrieve the letter written by Voldemort. Together, they vanished all of the silver lining Remus' room to allow the werewolf to enter his home and help clean up.

"Why would they just destroy the house? It's childish," Remus commented, repairing the sofa.

"Just to piss us off. The wards aren't functioning anymore, and we can't get them back up; I've tried. And they had to know we'd come back here eventually," Sirius said.

"Hey, Sirius!" Kingsley called from Harry's room. "You've got an owl..."

Remus and Sirius exchanged a look, wondering silently if it would be from Voldemort. They entered the room just in time to see the owl fly off. "It's from Dumbledore," Kingsley said, handing the letter over to Sirius.

Sirius opened the parchment and read the three lines written in Dumbledore's elegant handwriting:

_Sirius and Remus,_

_I wonder if it would be possible for the two of you to come to Hogwarts as soon as possible._

_A.D._

"Well, that was informative," Sirius said, setting the letter ablaze with his new wand (Beech wood and unicorn tail, eleven and a quarter inches).

Remus chuckled. "That's Dumbledore," he said. "Shall we, Mister Padfoot?"

"I believe we shall, Mister Moony. Mister Shacklebolt, I'll see you back at Headquarters." Sirius saluted his second-in-command.

Kingsley laughed, nodded, and waved as Sirius and Remus Disapparated to the front gates of Hogwarts. They walked across the grounds wondering what the Headmaster could possibly want to see them for. Had there been another attack? Was one being planned?

Their questions increased when they entered Dumbledore's office to see Harry and Ron sitting in front of the headmaster looking very guilty. Molly and Arthur were also present; Arthur was sitting on the sofa while Molly yelled at Ron.

"—completely irresponsible! You two could have killed somebody," Molly yelled.

Remus cleared his throat, causing everybody to look over at the new arrivals. Sirius raised an eyebrow as Harry winced visibly at the sight of his guardians.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, gentlemen," Dumbledore said. He looked amused over the situation, but was trying hard to hide it from Molly.

"Not a problem, Albus. What's happened?" Remus asked, not taking his eyes from Harry.

"This morning, one of the Gryffindor Prefects heard a loud noise coming from the fourth year boys' dormitory. He entered and found the majority of the furniture had been destroyed or caught on fire. Harry and Ron claim they were attempting a simple levitating charm to rearrange the room, and things went wrong," Dumbledore explained, his lips twitching.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance. They'd had the same thing happen to them in third year, but it hadn't been as a result of a levitation charm.

"I see," Remus said slowly. "Have they been given a punishment yet?"

"No," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling knowingly. "I thought as the parents and guardians, the four of you would come up with a suitable punishment."

"I think cleaning the entire Gryffindor Tower—without magic—would work," Sirius said, daring Harry to argue. "And of course, Remus and I would like to speak with Harry in private. That is, if you don't mind, Albus."

"Not at all, Sirius," Dumbledore said.

"Come along, Harry," Remus said evenly.

Sirius and Remus said goodbye to the elder Weasleys and led Harry down the spiraling staircase and out of the school. They silently walked in the direction of the lake, and for the slightest second, Harry thought they were going to throw him to the squid. Instead, he was taken to the Quidditch pitch and up the Gryffindor side of the stands.

Harry sat between his guardians and waited for one of them to yell. That wasn't their way of dealing with things, however; Sirius looked at his godson with a wide grin while Remus raised his eyebrows at him. They were looks Harry knew quite well after growing up with two Marauders. They knew what he'd been doing, but Harry couldn't tell if they were angry or not; the two of them were strange in that way.

"So..." Sirius said, his grin remaining in place.

"So, indeed, Padfoot," Remus said calmly.

"A levitation charm, eh? I've heard better," Sirius said thoughtfully.

"You've come up with better," Remus corrected him.

"I have, haven't I?" Sirius said. Remus nodded. "Hmm... So, Harry. When?"

"When, what?" Harry said slowly.

"When did you start all this?" Sirius asked matter-of-factly.

Harry sighed. He couldn't lie to his guardians no matter how hard he tried. "Last year," he muttered.

"Last year?" Sirius repeated. "That would have made you a third year, am I correct, Mister Moony?"

"You are correct, Mister Padfoot."

"That would also mean that you started under the nose of our esteemed professor, here, Harry. I commend you for that," Sirius said with a slight bow.

"You are aware that it's illegal, Harry?" Remus asked.

"Yes, but—"

"But what?" Sirius asked, dropping his former humor. "But you decided just because your father and I did it in second year you should do it, too?" Neither Sirius nor Remus needed to see Harry's nod to know the answer. "I don't know where to start, Remus."

"I do," Remus said. "Are you aware, Harry, of how dangerous what you're doing is?" Harry nodded again, looking down at his shoes. "And are you also aware of how many close calls there were when Sirius and your father attempted it?" Harry nodded. "So why did you start?"

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but Sirius cut him off. "No, no! Let me guess: you thought it would be a good weapon against Voldemort. Because he could never find out that you and Ron have become Animagi," he said, his tone dripping in sarcasm.

Harry sighed.

"Look, Harry," Sirius continued. "Becoming an Animagus was one of the best decisions I ever made. It was the same for your dad. We were able to help Remus on full moons, and yes, it did help when we became Aurors. But it's not the easiest thing in the world to achieve. There were a lot of hospital visits and close calls with us. If you really wanted to learn, you should have come to one of us. We probably wouldn't have let you done it in third year, but eventually we would have helped you."

"Really?" Harry said.

"Yeah, really?" Remus asked, glaring at Sirius.

"Oh, come on, Moony. He wouldn't be a Marauder if he didn't attempt it and break a few rules. Granted, this is an action punishable by Azkaban imprisonment, but we never got caught," Sirius said.

"So we can finish?" Harry asked hopefully.

"No," Sirius and Remus said together.

"Wait a few years, Harry. We've got enough to deal with at the moment without worrying about you or Ron being stuck as half an animal," Remus said.

"Dumbledore knows, by the way," Sirius said.

"How?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore knows all, my dear godson," Sirius said. "It would do you good to learn that."

"Right," Harry said flatly.

"Now, you have a tower to clean—" Remus began.

"Without magic—" Sirius interjected.

"Yes, without magic. So off you go."

"See you later, Harry. And use a silencing charm next time," Sirius added in a whisper as he hugged Harry.

"Bye!" Harry called, grinning as he headed down the stairs.

* * *

_Twelve-year-old Remus Lupin staggered up the stairs to the dormitory he shared with his friends. He'd been in the hospital wing under the strict care of the new nurse, Madam Pomfrey, for five days after the full moon. It had been one of the worst full moons Remus could ever remember experiencing. The nurse told him he'd nearly died; he would have if she hadn't gotten to him when she did._

_He was hoping for a quiet afternoon so he could rest before he went to classes in the morning. Sirius, James, and Peter hadn't been in the common room when he'd passed. They were probably out pranking Snape or some other Slytherin. _

_Remus had grown used to the pranks his friends (mainly Sirius and James; Peter just followed them around) pulled. He'd always been convinced that do to his Lycanthropy he would never have the chance to make friends, let alone attend Hogwarts. He had Albus Dumbledore to thank for that._

_Remus opened the dormitory door and stopped in his tracks. Though it was mid-afternoon, all of the window curtains had been pulled shut. It was completely dark in the dorm, save four candles that were lit between the four-poster beds, giving the room the feel of a dungeon instead of a tower. A single chair had been placed in the center of the room._

_Cautiously, Remus walked further into the room. _Is this another prank?_ he wondered._

"Colloportus,_" Remus heard James say clearly. The door closed and locked magically._

_Sirius, James, and Peter were sitting on Remus' trunk in front of the lone chair, watching Remus look around the room for any means of escape._

"_Hello, Remus," Sirius said. Remus noticed immediately that there was no humor in his friend's voice. "Have a seat."_

"_Why?" Remus asked. He felt himself beginning to tremble. _

"_We just want to talk," James said calmly. "Sit."_

_Slowly, Remus made his way to the chair and sat before his friends. They all looked at one another for long minutes before Sirius spoke again. "So how's your mum, Remus?" he asked casually._

"_Er... she's, uh," Remus stuttered._

"_No need to lie to us, Remus. How's your mum?" James asked._

"_Fine," Remus whispered._

"_Fine? But didn't you go home to see her because she's sick?" Sirius asked in mock-confusion._

"_Erm," Remus said, trying to think of something to say._

"_How'd the full moon go, Remus?" Peter asked. For the first time since Remus had met him, there was no quiver or squeak in his voice._

_Remus closed his eyes tightly. _They know..._ he thought._

Well, did you honestly believe you could hide it from them forever?_ asked a voice in the back of Remus' mind._

No.

"_We know what you are, Remus," Sirius said quietly. "We just want to hear you admit it."_

"_What do you want me to say?" Remus asked tightly, not looking at his friends._

"_Just tell us," James said simply._

_Remus hesitated, but there was no point lying now. "I'm... a werewolf," he said barely above a whisper._

_Sirius, James, and Peter looked at one another before Sirius nodded. _

"_Okay," James said. He raised his wand—Remus winced in preparation—and opened the curtains._

"_Damn, that's bright," Sirius said, wincing as the light flooded in. _

"_So who wants to play chess?" James asked._

"_I'll play," Peter said._

"_Wait a second..." Remus said, looking at his friend's in amazement. "What... that's it?"_

"_What's it?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow._

"_That's... you're not... I mean, you don't care that your sharing a dorm with a—well, _me_?"_

"_Why would we?" James asked._

"_I... I'm a dark creature," Remus said._

"_No, you're Remus," Sirius said as if speaking to a rather daft five-year-old. "Now, chess. You want to play, Remus?"_

"_O-okay," Remus said. _It can't be this easy_, he thought._

"_Oh, by the way, Remus," James said, digging through his trunk for his chess pieces. "We're going to study becoming Animagi."_

"_What? Why?" Remus asked, his voice squeaking._

"_So we can hang out with you on the full moon," Sirius said._

"_But... it's illegal," Remus said, trying to reason with them._

"_So?" James asked with a grin._

"_Look, don't try to argue. We've already got the books from Madam Pince, and we went through hell to get them. Besides, you owe us for not telling us the truth for a bloody year and a half," Sirius said, matching James' grin._

"_Okay..." Remus said helplessly, his head spinning._

_Three years later, the Marauders had officially formed, thus beginning six years of an endless adventure._


	18. Eighteen

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Eighteen_

The full moon was high over head in the month of March, shining brightly on everything below it. Muggle children were told bedtime stories about beasts that howled at the moon and preyed on the flesh of little children who wandered too far from home on nights like this. Folklore, they called it, fantasy, myth. Nobody really believed in that sort of thing. They were merely fun stories to tell around a campfire, deep in the woods.

The Muggles had no idea, really. They were clueless about the world that was hidden around them. The truth would send them all running if they found it out, especially the Muggles living on Grimmauld Place. None of them paid much attention to the happenings at Number Twelve. They may have vaguely noticed the people entering the house at strange hours of the day and night, but they forgot about it moments later and found something around their own homes that needed to be taken care of. If they listened hard enough, they could hear dogs (were they dogs?) barking and howling on certain nights. They had no idea that their peaceful neighborhood was home to one of the most guarded secrets of the other world—the wizarding world.

Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London was home to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a resistance led by Albus Dumbledore against the feared Lord Voldemort. The Order's job was to keep the world (wizard and Muggle, alike) safe from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It was a job chosen by the Order's members, those who didn't want to see their world destroyed by the Dark Lord.

On any other night of the month, the majority of the Order members would meet at Number Twelve to discuss their efforts, and what they would do next. Any other night, they would remain late into the night to socialize and enjoy Molly Weasley's famous cooking. But that was any other night of the month.

Tonight, as you may recall, was the full moon, and all of the Order members knew it was best to keep away from headquarters on that night. Tonight was the night that one of the most respected figures in the Order transformed into something the world (wizard and Muggle alike) feared. Tonight was the night Remus J. Lupin—former Hogwarts professor and Prefect—became a werewolf.

There was only one man in the world (wizard or Muggle) that could keep the werewolf called Moony in check. He was a high ranking Auror for the Ministry of Magic. A man with little patience for many things, and a large heart for others. A man who was to be kept on one's good side if they knew what was best for them. A man who had once been a prisoner of the wizard prison, Azkaban. Sirius Black (Padfoot to his friends) could handle Moony; he'd been doing so since the young age of fifteen. On the full moon, Sirius also transformed. But unlike his best friend, Sirius' transformation was voluntary. He hadn't missed a full moon with Remus in years, and not even a war could make him miss one now.

Moony was in a playful mood tonight, something his human counterpart hadn't experienced much since Voldemort's return. The brown (but slightly grey) werewolf sat on his haunches, his long tongue hanging out. The large black dog—Padfoot—sat in front of him with a grin only an Animagus could pull off.

Moony barked playfully and ran through the halls of Number Twelve with Padfoot right on his heels. They ended up in the drawing room where Padfoot launched himself upon Moony. The two canines wrestled around the room, not caring if they destroyed the furniture. Neither cared much for Number Twelve, after all.

Padfoot backed away and set his eyes on the Black family tapestry that had been teasing him for months; it still refused to be taken down. He growled slightly at it as Moony came up behind him. The black dog was nudged in the shoulder by the werewolf. He turned and saw the mischievous glint that belonged not to the werewolf but to Remus. Padfoot grinned, nodded his head, and attacked the tapestry. Magic hadn't worked on it, but a dog's jaw seemed to finally do the trick. The tapestry began to unravel and tear in the dog's mouth with the sound of what could only be Moony laughing behind him. Padfoot ripped the final piece of the tapestry from the wall and turned to grin at Moony.

The two friends ran down to the basement kitchen to find something they could eat. Padfoot entered the kitchen and saw something he hadn't seen since his sixth year at Hogwarts: Moony was running around the tables and chairs trying to catch an owl that had flown in. The owl had been smart enough to stay close to the ceiling, but Moony wouldn't give up. Finally, the owl made it to the fireplace and flew up the chimney. Moony began to bark at the empty fireplace while Padfoot transformed back into his human form.

"Moony! Give it up, man! It's gone!" Sirius laughed at his friend's antics.

Most would think Sirius insane for being in a room with a werewolf, but Remus had taken his Wolfsbane Potion in the days leading up to the full moon, and he was now harmless.

Sirius walked to the counter where the owl had dropped its letter and began to read. Moony began to whine in question as Sirius' face lost its former humor. "There's been an attack," Sirius said quietly, moving his eyes from the letter to Moony. "Muggle family in the country."

Moony growled in anger.

"I know. Look, I've got to go out there. Are you going to be all right until morning?"

Moony nodded and curled up on the floor beside Sirius' feet. Sirius chuckled and reached down to scratch the werewolf behind his ears. "Good dog," he said patronizingly. "See you in a few hours. Remember, if you need to use the restroom, the newspapers are upstairs," he teased.

Moony reached out a paw stealthily and tripped Sirius as he made his way out of the kitchen. "Git!" Sirius said as he stood and left the house.

* * *

"Can't someone get rid of that?" Sirius called as he laid eyes on the Dark Mark above a small country cottage.

"We tried," Kingsley said, approaching his boss. "How's Remus?" he added under his breath.

"Fine," Sirius replied. "What do we got?"

Kingsley sighed. "Whole family, husband, wife, three kids—two boys and a girl, we think. They were tortured and... well, you'll have to see..."

Sirius followed Kingsley into the house and had to turn his head away at the sight before him. The husband and wife had been decapitated. Their bodies were lying on the floor, while their heads—eyes wide open—floated near the ceiling.

"It gets worse," Kingsley muttered.

The two Aurors entered what might have been the little girl's room. The walls and carpet were covered in blood and flesh, and a small toe lay beside the bed.

"Reductor curse," Sirius said in disgust.

"Yeah, all three of them are like that," Kingsley said.

"Bastards. Has the house been search—" A scream cut Sirius off.

Sirius turned and sprinted outside, with Kingsley just behind him, and stopped dead in his tracks, causing Kingsley to run into his back. A dozen or so hooded Death Eaters had come out of the trees, firing curses at the eight Ministry officials on the scene.

"_STUPEFY_!" Kingsley shouted at the group. The spell flew through the group of Death Eaters, not hitting one of them.

Sirius sent curse after curse into the Death Eater ranks. He hit two Death Eaters, but the others deflected his wand's spells. Sirius cried out painfully as something that felt like a knife hit him in the back. He spun around ignoring the pain of the cutting curse and began dueling with the Death Eater who had hit him.

They were evenly matched against one another—neither wizard could get a spell past the other.

"What? No Killing curse?" Sirius taunted.

"My master wishes to keep you alive, Black. Why, I will never know," said the cold voice from under the hood.

Sirius would know that voice anywhere. "So old Voldy let you out of the house, Malfoy? What a surprise."

Now that he knew who he was dealing with, Sirius was able to duel properly. He'd been matched against Malfoy several times in the past, and Sirius had an excellent memory for fighting styles.

Around them, the other duels had ended. The Death Eaters had Disapparated away with their injured, leaving the Aurors to watch Sirius and Malfoy. Finally, Sirius was convinced he'd captured the Death Eater who had been involved in Harry's kidnapping all those years ago.

That was until a terrible pain hit him in the same place the cutting curse had. It felt like dozens of hot knives were piercing him in every inch of his body. He fell to the ground, trying to hold back his screams; he wouldn't give them the pleasure of hearing him scream. When the Cruciatus Curse had been lifted, Sirius looked up into the snake-like face of Lord Voldemort.

"Hello, Black," Voldemort said softly. "We finally meet again. I trust you received my letter?"

"Go to hell," Sirius gasped.

"You first, Black. _Avada—_"

"_TOM_!"

Voldemort looked away from the Auror who had prepared himself for certain death and across the field as Dumbledore appeared. Even through the stars that had erupted in his eyes, Sirius could see and feel the power Dumbledore radiated around him. _The only wizard he ever feared..._

"Dumbledore," Voldemort spat.

"Step away from him, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Shouldn't you be protecting your precious savior, Dumbledore?" Voldemort said. "Or do you believe him safe in that treasured school of yours?"

A duel began between Voldemort and Dumbledore as Kingsley crawled forward and Apparated away with Sirius. They arrived in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. Blood was flowing freely from Sirius, and he could feel himself growing weaker by the moment. Before unconsciousness overcame him, he whispered, "Moony..."

* * *

Remus awoke shivering on the kitchen floor after the sun had risen. He looked around the room and found it to be empty. Normally, Sirius would take him up to one of the bedrooms and would make sure he was all right before leaving for work. His absence worried Remus more than a little.

The kitchen door opened, but instead of Sirius, Kingsley stepped down the stairs with a pile of clean clothes for Remus.

"Where's Sirius?" he whispered hoarsely.

"St. Mungo's," Kingsley said, handing the clothes to Remus. "There was an ambush at the attack scene. You-Know-Who showed up. Sirius is fine," he added quickly at Remus' startled expression. "He's just really tired. And he asked me to check on you."

"Voldemort was there?" Remus asked.

"Yes. Sirius was three syllables from death. Dumbledore showed up just in time."

* * *

Harry sat between Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall trying to enjoy his breakfast. Since the Yule Ball, Harry's best friends had been at each other's throats constantly. Ron was upset that Hermione had gone with Viktor Krum—alleged Hogwarts enemy; Hermione didn't think it was any of Ron's business. The two had reached a silent agreement not to discuss Krum, period. Harry had grown tired of their bickering, anyway. Regardless, there was still a slight tension in the air.

The mail arrived on time, and Hermione reached for the _Daily Prophet_ that had been delivered to her.

"Hey, Potter!" Draco Malfoy called from across the hall. The Gryffindor trio turned to look at the Slytherin table. They all had smug, knowing looks on their faces. "How's Black doing?" Malfoy asked with a smirk.

"What's he on about?" Harry muttered, turning back to his friends.

"Who cares?" Hermione huffed. She unrolled the newspaper and began to read. She gasped loudly, causing Ron—and a few others around them—to choke on his pumpkin juice.

"What?" Harry asked, reaching for the newspaper. As he read the article, all of the color in his face drained. _'Black is rumored to be dead along with four other Aurors... __He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named__ arrived on the scene and slaughtered the Ministry officials...'_

Harry hadn't even realized he'd dropped the paper as he began to shake uncontrollably. He didn't notice Ron and Hermione's worried looks. And he didn't notice McGonagall tap him on the shoulder and lead him out of the Great Hall towards Dumbledore's office.

_He's dead..._ Harry thought over and over. It wasn't possible. It _couldn't_ be possible. He'd always seen Sirius as invincible. He couldn't be...

McGonagall said the password and helped Harry step on the spiraling staircase. They entered Dumbledore's office to find Remus and the headmaster waiting for them

"Hey, Harry," Remus said quietly, approaching his surrogate nephew. "Let's sit, eh?"

"Sirius..." Harry said, looking pleadingly at Remus to tell him it wasn't true.

"Have you read the paper today, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded numbly, staring at a spot on Dumbledore's desk in disbelief.

Remus sighed and shook his head. "Sirius is fine, Harry. He's sitting in St. Mungo's doing a crossword puzzle right now," he said, placing a comforting arm around Harry's shoulders.

Harry turned his head so quickly his neck cracked. "He's...? But the paper," he said breathlessly.

"Did you happen to see who wrote that article?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No..."

"Rita Skeeter, Harry," Remus said.

Harry choked out a laugh. "So Sirius is okay, then?"

Remus smiled and nodded. "He's fine."

"What happened?"

Remus exchanged a look with Dumbledore and began to explain to Harry what happened the night before. Dumbledore continued his duel with Voldemort to allow the Aurors time to escape. Again, Lucius Malfoy escaped.

"But nobody died?" Harry checked.

"Nobody from the Ministry, no. But a Muggle family was killed before Sirius even arrived. It was planned, Harry," Remus said.

Harry nodded. "Can I see Sirius?"

"You have classes today," Remus reminded him.

"I believe Harry can miss his morning classes so long as he returns in time for Potions this afternoon," Dumbledore said.

"Do I have to?" Harry asked. Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

Remus chuckled. "All right, well, let's go then. And we are not Flooing, so don't even ask. I don't have the energy for that today."

Dumbledore charmed a golden paperweight into a portkey, and thirty seconds later, Remus and Harry arrived on the hard linoleum floor of St. Mungo's. The two of them made their way to the Spell Damage floor and found Sirius' room. They entered to find Sirius arguing with an old grey-haired witch.

"I told you, I'm fine," Sirius told the Healer.

"Mr. Black, you've been hit with an Unforgivable curse. Please stay still," the Healer said exasperatedly.

Sirius turned his head while the Healer performed tests on him with her wand. He raised his arms in greeting when he spotted Remus and Harry standing in the doorway. "Harry! Don't you have classes?" he said.

The Healer, who had come close to being hit with Sirius' arm, was growing frustrated. "Mr. Black! _Stay still!"_

"You've done these tests a hundred times," Sirius complained. "Let me spend some time with my family."

"Fine," the Healer said. "Fine. But when you need a painkilling potion, don't whine to me about it." The elderly witch gathered her tools and walked out of the room muttering about Sirius being the most difficult patient she had ever encountered.

Remus and Harry exchanged a grin as they approached Sirius' bed. Remus collapsed in a chair beside the window and laid his head back.

"I think you're the one who needs to be in this bed, Moony, not me," Sirius said, handing Harry a chocolate frog.

"Shut up, Padfoot," Remus muttered, closing his eyes.

While Remus slept, Sirius and Harry discussed the Triwizard Tournament. Sirius was quite pleased to hear Cedric Diggory was in the lead, with Viktor Krum right behind him.

"You know, I think you would have done okay in that, Harry," Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Maybe," Harry said, shrugging. "But I prefer being a spectator. I never would have gotten past a dragon."

Sirius laughed. "You could have. You could have, I don't know, summoned your Firebolt or something."

"From the dorm? No way!" Harry said.

Sirius rolled his eyes and listened to his godson telling him about Ron and Hermione. For the first time since his admittance to St. Mungo's, Sirius realized how close he was to death the night before. If Dumbledore hadn't turned up at exactly the right moment... well, he didn't want to think about it.

And where would his death leave Remus and Harry? The Ministry's stand against werewolves hadn't changed much in thirty years. Amelia Bones had been working on changing a few of the laws, but the majority of the world feared dark creatures, and she was not even close to completing her work with the laws.

If Sirius had died last night, Harry probably would have been sent to some foster family or something. Dumbledore would fight for Harry to live with Remus, but by the time that happened, Harry would probably be out of Hogwarts.

Remus... If Sirius had died last night, his best friend would be alone again. Remus loved Harry as much as Sirius did—and that's saying something. Sirius didn't know if Remus would be able to function normally if Harry had been taken away from him.

The relationship the three of them shared with one another was something no force in the world could break apart. They were all highly defensive of one another, and if one was in trouble, the other two would stop at nothing to save him.

They were a family of the highest standards. Nothing, not even Lord Voldemort, could tear them apart.

* * *

Sirius was discharged from St. Mungo's the next day. He claimed it was because he was completely healed; the Healers said they were sick of dealing with him, and had he spent any more time in their presence he would have been worse off than anything Voldemort could ever do to him.

He and Remus arrived back at Number Twelve just in time for the Order meeting that was taking place. Even though Dumbledore had told them all, repeatedly, that Sirius in fact alive and well in St. Mungo's, it was clear that they'd all read Rita Skeeter's article the day before.

Molly spent fifteen minutes making sure Sirius was fed and comfortable during the Order meeting. She'd put his feet up on a pillow she'd placed on a chair and handed him an overly full plate of food.

"Now that we are all comfortable," Dumbledore said with a wink to Sirius, "I have a request I must ask of you. You are aware of what lies in the Department of Mysteries. And you are aware that it could mean terrible things not only for Harry Potter, but for all of us. I am asking for anybody with experience with Occlumency to remain behind once the meeting concludes. It is of the utmost importance that Harry learns this skill, and we are having, er, disagreements as to who should teach him."

The meeting concluded two hours later and all but five Order members were asked to leave or remain in the drawing room until Dumbledore spoke with them.

Elphias Doge, Emmeline Vance, and—to everybody's surprise—Mundungus Fletcher remained in the basement kitchen with Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus. Dumbledore asked the three with experience to demonstrate their skills, and in the end, he picked the most skilled and explained what their duties would entail.

Harry would begin Occlumency lessons during the summer with Emmeline. Harry's guardians and Dumbledore were quite pleased with the choice; Emmeline was a highly respected member at the Ministry.

"Anybody would have been better than Snape," Sirius said later that night. "_Dung_ would have been better than Snape."

"Did you know he knew Occlumency?" Remus asked, sipping his coffee.

"Nope, I was just as surprised as the rest of you. He wasn't too bad, either," Sirius said, drinking his own coffee.

"Emmeline was a good choice," Remus mused. "Not bad to look at either," he added thoughtfully.

"Moony!" Sirius laughed, spitting out his coffee.

"What?" Remus asked innocently. "It's true."

"You never cease to amaze me, Moony."

"Thank you, Padfoot."


	19. Nineteen

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Nineteen_

The month of June brought along with it the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. The whole of Hogwarts was filled with excitement as night fell upon them. Their champion, Cedric Diggory, was in the lead, followed closely by Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour.

Harry stood beside Ron and Hermione at the foot of the castle entrance as students quickly made their way to the Quidditch pitch. They were awaiting the arrival of Sirius and Remus. The two wizards hadn't been able to attend the first two tasks, so Dumbledore invited them to observe the last. The Hogwarts alumni arrived with only moments to spare. Harry led the group to what had once been the Quidditch pitch. Now it was a giant bush, in Sirius' opinion.

"What did they do to it?" Sirius whispered with tears in his eyes.

"Diggory said they're going to fix it before next year," Harry said, patting his godfather on the back comfortingly.

"But..."

"It's okay, Padfoot," Remus said.

"It's just a Quidditch pitch," Hermione reasoned.

Sirius looked at her as if she had two heads. "Just a... do you have any idea... She said..." he sputtered indignantly.

"Sirius, calm down," Remus said, trying to hold back his laughter at his friend's dramatics.

"Insanity," Sirius muttered, staring at the maze.

"I think Sirius is the insane one." Ron grinned at Harry.

"You have no idea," Harry said back.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" they heard as they sat in the stands. "The third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin." Ludo Bagman sounded more excited that any of the students. He ran down the standings on points: Diggory had eighty-five; Krum had eighty; and Delacour was in last place with seventy. Bagman blew his whistle and Diggory entered the maze to cheers from the Hogwarts students. The whistle sounded twice more, and Krum (followed by Delacour) entered behind him.

"So I guess we just sit and wait now," Hermione said over the cheers around them.

"They just have to get to the cup, right?" Sirius asked, finally growing used to the look of his beloved Quidditch pitch. "That doesn't sound too difficult."

"Hagrid said there are a ton of obstacles they have to get past," Hermione explained. Harry and Ron shivered in unison, causing the two older wizards to raise their eyebrows. "Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hermione said. "Hagrid's been, er, _breeding_ them..."

"Uh oh," Sirius muttered. "That can't be good." Remus shook his head in agreement.

An hour into the task, Sirius began to fidget like a hyperactive six-year-old, so he and Remus made their way down to the ground to speak with Dumbledore. As the night grew darker, the first signs of trouble showed themselves. On the far end of the maze, red sparks were shot high in the sky. Moody pointed out where they came from so Hagrid could retrieve the fallen champion.

The stands were so quiet you could hear a pin drop until Hagrid returned with Fleur Delacour. Madame Maxime and Madam Pomfrey reached the girl's side as the Hogwarts stands erupted in cheers. They were still in the running, and the odds had just gotten better.

At ten p.m. by Remus' wristwatch, Moody stopped dead in his tracks as he patrolled the perimeter of the maze. Remus watched the former Auror's normal eye widen in surprise while the magical one spun wildly. Moody limped as fast as his wooden leg could carry him to where Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore stood. The Headmaster and professor exchanged a short whispered conversation before Dumbledore nodded and Moody limped off towards the castle.

Dumbledore's face was void of any clue as to what just happened as he pointed his wand at his throat and performed the Sonorus Charm. "Students!" he called. "You are to return to your respectful dormitories immediately! Prefects are instructed to keep all students in their common rooms until further notice. Our head boy and girl are to remain behind for instructions from Professor McGonagall." An outraged muttering began as the students did as they were told.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked over the noise.

"Death Eaters are inside the maze," Dumbledore answered when the teachers gathered around him. Remus wasn't surprised when he noticed Snape was nowhere to be seen. "Minerva, instruct the head boy and girl to secure the school. Any students out of their common rooms are to be taken to my office where they will remain until I can take care of them. Alastor is contacting the Ministry. Prepare yourselves; we are under attack."

"What about Diggory and Krum?" Professor Sprout asked as McGonagall went to meet the Head Boy and Girl.

"I hope that they will remain safe until we can get to them," Dumbledore said.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the students up the path towards the school. Just as they passed the greenhouses, however, Harry pulled his two friends aside and into the shrubs.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to untangle herself from the bushes.

"Keep quiet," Harry said as the last of the students entered the school. "Something's going on," he said quietly, staring in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch.

"And Dumbledore told us to go back to the school," Hermione said.

"I'm not leaving Sirius and Remus out there," Harry argued.

"Don't be thick, Harry!" Ron said. "They're grown wizards; they can take care of themselves. And Dumbledore's there."

"If you two want to go inside, then go. But I'm going back," Harry said stubbornly.

"You're an idiot, Harry," Hermione said exasperated.

Regardless of how they felt about their best friend's mental stability, Ron and Hermione began to follow Harry back towards the maze. The trio ducked under the stands as the head boy and girl ran past them. They exited the stands just in time to see the maze being blown apart. The Death Eaters marched forward, outnumbering the entire teaching staff five to one.

* * *

"Harry didn't go back," Sirius muttered to Remus.

"Why do you say that?" Remus asked carefully.

"Because I just saw Hermione's bushy head duck out of the Ravenclaw stands."

"Dammit..."

Neither had time to turn around and yell for the trio to get back inside the school. The Death Eaters were closing in quickly.

"_STUPEFY_!" Dumbledore yelled into the enemy ranks.

The night sky exploded into a whirlwind of color and sound as the battle broke out. The Death Eaters were firing back lazily as if this were only practice for them. Dumbledore's presence didn't even seem to faze them. Moody returned to the grounds with the entire Auror department and the Order of the Phoenix backing him. Sirius and Remus were separated by a group of Death Eaters. Remus fired every curse and spell that came to him, and was able to knock out three of his opponents.

* * *

Harry watched the battle from the stands as his guardians fought to keep the Death Eaters at bay. Suddenly, a sharp, burning pain erupted in his head. It was the worst pain he had ever experienced; his scar was going to explode.

"He's here," he panted breathlessly. He could see flashes of the Forbidden Forest. It sounded as if an entire army was approaching.

"Who's here?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"Voldemort."

* * *

"_STUPEFY_!" Sirius yelled at the Death Eater before him. The other wizard was surrounded by red light for a moment before he fell to the ground. In the momentary pause, Sirius looked around. Remus was partnered with Tonks in a battle with four Death Eaters. He had to admit, his cousin had style. He glanced quickly towards the stands, hoping Harry wouldn't be stupid and would remain under the stands.

"Oy, Black!" called a voice. Sirius spun around and ducked a blue jet of light sent his way. He fired back with a cutting curse and hit the enemy in the stomach. The Death Eater fell to the ground in pain as Sirius ran over to him, stunned him, and broke his wand in half.

"SIRIUS! DUCK!" Remus called.

Sirius hit the ground just as the Killing Curse soared over his head. He could hear the rush of air as it hit the bushes of the maze and caught them on fire. His way of saying thanks to Remus was by stunning the Death Eater directly behind his friend.

"_HARRY!_" they heard Dumbledore yell.

The battle stopped only for seconds as everybody present turned around to witness Lord Voldemort standing before Harry. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen.

The color drained from Sirius' face. _He's too young... He's not prepared for this..._ he thought desperately. He made to run to his godson's defense, but a group of ten Death Eaters blocked his path. He'd had to fight to get to Harry before, and he'd be damned if he didn't do so now.

* * *

Remus had also been barricaded from Harry. His problem, though, was not the number of Death Eaters in his way, but the one leading them. He'd know that stance anywhere. Nobody held a wand like she did...

"Get out of the way, Naomi," Remus growled.

Remus could almost see his former love smiling at him from under the Death Eater's hood. "I can't do that, love," she said.

"Dammit! _MOVE_! That's Harry over there! Lily's son!" Remus shouted.

The Death Eaters behind Naomi laughed. "Lily's dead, Remus. Surely you've realized that by now," she teased.

"Naomi, I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't get out of my damn way in three seconds, you will wish I'd reported you to the Ministry. One... two..."

"HARRY!" Sirius shouted from Remus' left. Remus looked over the crowd of Death Eaters and spotted a jet of green light speeding in Harry's direction. Instead of hitting Harry, however, the Killing Curse collided with what looked like a disarming charm.

Remus plowed through the Death Eaters, knocking Naomi carelessly to the side, and met Sirius just in time to see the bead of golden light begin to fight its way to the tip of Harry's wand.

"Fight it, Harry!" Sirius shouted.

"I'm trying!" Harry called back.

"Remus... what... what's going on?" Sirius asked his best friend weakly, watching the bead move away from Harry, and towards Voldemort.

"I don't know," Remus responded wide-eyed and petrified. He'd never seen anything like this in his life.

Around them, the battle had stopped completely. All eyes were now on Voldemort and Harry. They could see the younger wizard sweating and shaking as he forced the bead of light away from him.

After what seemed like an eternity, the bead connected with the tip of Voldemort's wand. Hundreds of golden threads emitted from the wand and created a golden dome that surrounded the two wizards. Sirius made to push through the dome, but Remus held him back.

"Don't," he whispered urgently. "Look..."

Sirius turned and saw what his friend was referring to. A body began to emerge from Voldemort's wand. Hestia... Following her were the other victims of what had been dubbed the St. Mungo's massacre back in December.

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered as Bertha Jorkins fell from the wand, stood, and straightened herself out. Voldemort's victims paced around the golden dome hissing at the wizard who had killed them.

"Oh my god," Remus muttered.

Sirius turned quickly back to his friend. "What?"

Remus could only point. Sirius looked back into the dome and barely felt his knees hit the ground. Lily Potter stood from where her ghost had hit the ground (at least, she looked like a ghost...) and moved towards her son. Harry's eyes were wide as his mother said something to him. He nodded and held his wand with more determination than before.

"He's next," Sirius said weakly from the ground. He didn't dare look away from Voldemort's wand as his best friend pushed himself from the tip and fell to the ground.

Before joining his son and wife, the messy-haired Marauder called to Sirius. "She's coming, Padfoot... she wanted to see you... just a minute..." It sounded like an echo of James' voice, as if he was in a deep cavern and Sirius was at the opening. Sirius nodded, not sure what he was even nodding at. He followed James' progress to Lily and Harry. James smiled at his son and whispered something to him. Again, Harry nodded, but this time, he gave a small smile to his parents.

"Sirius..." Remus said softly. "Look..."

The final figure out of Voldemort's wand was a tall woman who would have had brown hair and dark blue eyes had she not been a grayish color. "Julia," Sirius whispered longingly.

The ghost of the only woman he'd ever loved smiled at him as she approached the edge of the dome. "I would have said yes, Sirius..." she said. "Just a minute, I'll come back..."

She crossed over to James, Lily, and Harry. The three of them stood in front of Harry while the other victims closed in on Voldemort, shielding him from the boy. Harry suddenly jerked his wand upwards, still protected by his parents and Julia. The golden dome disappeared immediately.

Voldemort raised his arms above his head and touched his left forearm with his wand. A blue light surrounded every Death Eater on Hogwarts grounds, giving the night a strange daytime glow, before Voldemort and his followers disappeared. One by one, Voldemort's victims began to fade away into the night. Remus grabbed Sirius' arm, pulled him up from the ground, and began to drag him to Harry.

"We only have a few seconds..." Lily said, her voice fading.

"Take care of him," James said to Sirius and Remus.

"We will, Prongs," Remus said, wanting desperately to hold his friends one last time.

Lily smiled. "We love you guys..." she said before disappearing.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened with us, Moony... And, Padfoot... I never blamed you for anything..." James said. The next moment, James Potter was once again gone.

"I'm proud of you, Sirius..." Julia said, smiling as she approached the Auror. "And I love you..."

"I love you, too," Sirius said through his tears as Julia followed Lily and James to wherever it was they went.

Dumbledore ran to Sirius, Remus, and Harry followed by Minister Bones and the Aurors. Sirius and Remus continued to stare at the spot their friends had just been moments ago. They didn't even notice Harry collapse to the ground.

"Boys," Dumbledore said softly, placing his hands on the wizards' shoulders. "Let's go inside."

Neither of them could bring themselves to move; they had to be escorted back to the school by Hagrid and Moody.

* * *

Remus was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. He sat wide awake in the hospital wing in a bed beside Sirius. Harry was just across from them. He'd been magically drained with the duel with Voldemort and was forced to drink a sleeping draught and a replenishing potion by Madam Pomfrey.

Remus still couldn't believe what he'd seen. Lily... James... Julia... He'd heard them speak... He saw them all walk and smile...

Dumbledore had explained to him and Sirius about the brother wands Harry and Voldemort shared. It was the first they'd ever heard about the wands' cores, and had Sirius not been in a state of shock over the night's events, he would have made a big deal about it.

"Remus," Sirius whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I wasn't hallucinating, right?" Sirius had asked the same question at least every hour since he'd been able to bring himself to speak.

"No, you weren't hallucinating," Remus said to Sirius as much as himself.

"...she would have said yes..."

"I know, Sirius."

Remus could hear Sirius sniff in the dark, and was having a time trying to hold back his own tears. Neither man was shy about crying in front of the other; they'd been doing since the day they were reunited eight years before—most of their tears were shed over the memories of Lily and James. But that night was one neither would ever forget; they'd seen their friends again, even if it was just their echoes.

"Why didn't you tell me about Naomi?" Sirius asked after long minutes of silence.

Remus turned his head in his friend's direction. Sirius' tone wasn't accusing, only curious. "I don't know," he answered honestly.

Sirius nodded. "It's all right."

Remus nodded back. "How did Voldemort leave the grounds tonight?"

"I don't know. You can't Apparate or Disapparate here..."

Remus lay back on his pillows. The impossible had happened more than once that night: Voldemort attacked Hogwarts—the safest place in the wizarding world; they saw Lily and James and Julia; Voldemort somehow transported him and his Death Eaters—the injured included—off Hogwarts grounds; and most importantly, Harry lived through his first duel with the Dark Lord.

Had Voldemort discovered another crack in the Hogwarts wards? He'd known about the Apparition spot in the Forbidden Forest since he'd been in school. He now had Lily and James' powers... But not even Dumbledore could Apparate or Disapparate into Hogwarts.

Yet another mystery had shown itself. And Remus Lupin always did love a good mystery...


	20. Twenty

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty_

The evening after the final task, Sirius and Remus returned to Number Twelve to find Molly waiting anxiously for them or any of the other Order members to arrive. They explained to the Weasley matriarch about the events the night before—leaving out the dome that surrounded Voldemort and Harry. Molly had been the only member of the Order who hadn't been present, and Arthur had been busy at work all day.

Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum were, thankfully, found alive and well within what was left of the Triwizard maze. Somehow, the two boys had hidden from the Death Eater intruders. Ron and Hermione had witnessed everything from beneath the Quidditch stands. Apparently, Harry had left them to help Sirius and Remus, and was cornered by Voldemort. None of the Order or Auror squads had been seriously injured in the battle. A few had been admitted to St. Mungo's and released only hours later.

Dumbledore had taken it upon himself to increase the wards surrounding Hogwarts and the village of Hogsmeade to protect from future attack. Portkey and Floo travel were no longer permitted on school grounds, save Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster had set a rather complicated password to Floo into his fireplace and was only given out to the teaching staff and certain others. The only means of arrival into Hogsmeade was to Floo into the Three Broomsticks where Minister Bones had appointed the DMLE to stand guard.

Igor Karkaroff had not returned to the school after the attack. His students were escorted by Aurors back to Durmstrang. Madame Maxime and her students were taken back to France with Hagrid as their guard.

Draco Malfoy was caught out of the Slytherin dungeons by the Head Boy during the attack. He wouldn't tell anyone what he was doing out of his common room. In a compromise between Dumbledore and Snape, Malfoy was suspended from Hogwarts for the remainder of the year, and would have to complete his end of the year exams next year to be promoted to the status of fifth year.

Remus sat alone in the basement kitchen sipping a glass of firewhiskey while Sirius showed Molly out, and took a (much needed, in Remus' opinion) shower.

The werewolf was thinking back to less complicated times. Days when there was a war around them, but life seemed simpler to deal with. He never realized how much he missed having Naomi around before the previous night. She'd betrayed him, just as Wormtail had, and he detested her for it. But there were times when he missed Wormtail as well, only because there was a time when Wormtail hadn't been a lying traitor.

At the same time he detested her very being, however, a small part of him still longed for her. Remus never understood why she felt the need to join Voldemort's ranks. She was a pureblood, but her family had been very close to the Potters. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had been Naomi's godparents before their deaths. Remus had never heard her speak about the Dark Side in any other way than with the utmost hatred.

He drank the last of his firewhiskey and thought back to the day she showed him the Dark Mark.

* * *

_It had been three days since Lily and James' funeral, a week since their deaths. He'd been drinking himself into what he believed at the time to be an irreversible depression. _

_Naomi had shown herself into Remus' cottage just as she had done so many times over the years. She found him on the sofa with his head buried in his hands, his elbows on his knees. She sat beside him, but didn't place an arm around him in comfort like she normally did. Instead, she poured herself a strong drink._

"_I have something to tell you," she said softly, running her finger around the rim of the glass, looking anywhere but at him._

"_Did somebody die again?" Remus said flatly. "Because I can't handle that at the moment, Naomi."_

"_Nobody died, Remus," she assured him._

"_What, then?"_

_Naomi sighed. "You're going to hate me."_

_Remus shook his head and looked at her. "I could never hate you," he said sincerely, moving her blonde hair away from her eyes._

"_I can't be with you anymore, Remus," she said, still avoiding his eyes._

_Remus' hand dropped to her side. "What?" he muttered. She couldn't be doing this, not after everything that's happened._

"_I've done something," she began hesitantly. "And if we started a family or whatever like we've talked about... I just can't, Remus."_

"_Okay, no family, that's fine. Why do you think we can't be together?" he asked softly, almost desperately._

_Finally, for the first time since her arrival, she met his eyes. He could see fear and shame in them. "I'm a Death Eater."_

_Remus stared blankly at her for a moment. "Excuse me?" he said, hoping the alcohol was doing something to his ears._

"_Two days before Lily and James died, the Dark Lord gave me the Mark." Naomi lifted the left sleeve of her robe and showed Remus the blackened skull._

"_No," he whispered, not taking his eyes from the mark. "NO!" he shouted, pounding his fist on the coffee table. _

"_Remus, please," Naomi pleaded, tears filling her hazel eyes._

"_Please what, Naomi? You come in here, brandishing that—that _thing..._ What do you expect me to say?" he yelled, standing from the sofa and pacing._

"_I don't know," she replied quietly._

"_Why?" he asked flatly after a few minutes, facing away from her and staring into the dying embers of the fireplace._

_Again, Naomi sighed. "After Julia died, and all those people in the Order, I thought it was hopeless... that we'd never win."_

_Remus ignored her response. Something else had popped into his mind. "Did you know?" he asked, his own eyes filling with tears._

"_Know what?"_

"_That Sirius was going to betray Lily and James."_

"_Sirius didn't betray them, Remus," Naomi said firmly._

"_And I'm supposed to believe you?" Remus spat._

_Naomi sat back in the sofa and sighed, trying to keep the tears from her eyes. She'd known it would be hard, but not this bloody hard._

"_Go to Dumbledore," Remus said suddenly._

"_What?"_

"_Go to Dumbledore. He can help you. You don't have to do this, Naomi. Voldemort's gone. Dumbledore can help," Remus said._

"_I can't do that," Naomi whispered._

"_Why in the bloody hell not?" Remus shouted._

"_I... I just can't. I came to tell you what I've done. That's all. I'm not going back on it, Remus. I swore allegiance to the Dark Lord. I'm sorry," Naomi said, standing. _

_Remus felt his heart break at that moment. She'd betrayed him. Sirius had betrayed him. Sirius had probably been the reason she'd joined Voldemort; they'd always been the best of friends. That was just another reason Remus hated Sirius for five years._

"_If you report me to the Ministry, I'll understand. I have to go, Remus. I'm so sorry," she said quietly._

_Remus could do nothing but watch the love of his life walk out his front door. He wouldn't report her to the Ministry or to Dumbledore. Nobody had to know but him._

_With a fresh bottle of firewhiskey in hand, Remus sat back on his sofa and continued on as if Naomi had never visited him. His world had ended on Halloween 1981, and this was yet another example of Remus Lupin's hell._

* * *

Sirius leaned against the cool tiles of the shower as the hot water streamed down his body. He wasn't sure what to think or what to feel. Since the night before, at the final task, his head was spinning out of control, and there was no way to stop it. So many things were flooding his mind—well, only three things, really, but they were big things.

Echoes, Dumbledore had said. Echoes of their former selves. But it looked like them, and it sure as hell sounded like them.

Sirius never realized how badly he wanted—_needed_ —to see them again. He'd thought about it, sure, even wished about it. But he never believed it would actually happen.

Remus once asked him why they couldn't live normal lives, why they couldn't just... _live_. At the time, Sirius didn't have an answer for his best friend; he'd been wondering the same thing. But as he thought more about it, he began to believe life had some sort of plan for all of them. A sick, twisted plan at times, but it was a plan nonetheless. There had been a reason Julia and Lily and James had been murdered. There had been a reason Sirius had gone after Wormtail, and consequentially, gone to Azkaban. There had been a reason Wormtail had gone to Remus' cottage five years later on the full moon. There had been a reason for every event that had occurred in the thirty-six years of Sirius' life.

For years, Sirius forced himself to think James hated him for the switch of Secret-Keepers. He thought about it so much, it had become ingrained on his mind: His best friend hated him. But the night before, at Hogwarts, James said he never blamed Sirius. Those words had meant more to the Head Auror than even he knew.

And Julia... she'd been proud of him. She would have said yes to his marriage proposal. It made him wonder what would have happened had they been able to get married and perhaps start a family. If they'd had children, they would have been around Harry's age now, maybe a bit younger. Unfortunately, they never had that chance at a life together. And for the first time since Julia's death, Sirius felt he could finally move on in his life.

He and Remus had promised Lily and James they would take care of Harry. Sirius could still remember the day they first asked him to be Harry's godfather. Sirius smiled softly at the bittersweet memory.

* * *

_Sirius sat at the kitchen table of his flat finishing off the last of his firewhiskey. He hadn't shaved in days, and as a result, had the beginnings of a beard on his once handsome face. His body was numb, but whether that was due to the alcohol or the depression, he wasn't sure._

_It had been three months to the day since he found her and her family. The diamond ring he planned on giving her sat in its box right in front of him. The damned ring looked innocent enough, but in truth, it was mocking him. When the light shined on it just right, he could almost see her wearing it. _

_In his drunken haze, he seized the ring clumsily and threw it down the hall towards his bedroom. He hadn't slept there since that night... He heard a dull thumping noise, but paid it no mind as he tried to figure out how he was going to get more firewhiskey._

"_You know, Padfoot," said a calm voice, "it's a sign you've got a problem when you start behaving violently to your friends."_

"_Go to hell, Remus," Sirius said hoarsely, without much conviction, as he stared at the brown bottle before him._

_Remus sighed and sat across from his friend. "I know it hurts, Sirius, but you can't do this to yourself. She wouldn't want—"_

"_How do you know what she would have wanted?" Sirius muttered. "I don't even know what she wanted. Hell, I don't even know if she wanted to marry me."_

"_Of course she did," Remus said softly. "She wouldn't want you to lock yourself in your flat with nothing but Ogden's as company for the rest of your life."_

"_I wouldn't know. I never even got the chance to say goodbye to her," Sirius said miserably, finally looking up at his friend._

_He looked dead in Remus' opinion. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed in black and red—a mixture of lack of sleep, drinking, and crying. He probably hadn't eaten since two days previous when Remus and Peter came by and forced him to eat a few sandwiches. And it didn't look as if he'd showered since then, either._

"_Why are you here?" Sirius asked hoarsely._

"_Because you're my friend, and I don't want to see you kill yourself," Remus said matter-of-factly. "And James sent me," he added after a moment._

_Sirius only nodded._

"_Don't you want to know why James sent me?"_

"_Not really, but I suppose you're going to tell me anyway."_

"_You're right, I am. James Potter has sent me to tell you that his wife, one Mrs. Lily Potter has given birth to a healthy eight pound baby boy," Remus said with a smile._

"_What? When?" Sirius asked in slight shock._

"_About two hours ago. We tried Flooing you and sending owls. James even tried the two-way mirrors, but we couldn't get through," Remus said._

"_A boy, huh? What's his name?"_

"_Harry James," Remus answered._

_Again, Sirius nodded. "That's nice. Tell them I said congratulations."_

"_Oh, no," Remus said. "You can tell them yourself. You're going to shower, shave, and get all nice looking. Then I am taking your drunken arse to the hospital to see them."_

"_I can't, Remus," Sirius said._

"_Why?"_

"_I don't want them to see me like this."_

"_Well, that's why you're taking a shower. You have an hour. And don't try to drown yourself, either," Remus said._

_Sirius had no choice as Remus grabbed his arm and began to drag him to the bathroom._

_An hour later, Sirius, looking comparatively better, walked beside Remus down the corridors of St. Mungo's. They entered the maternity ward and found Lily's room._

"_Go on," Remus said quietly._

"_You're not going?" Sirius asked._

"_I've seen him. It's your turn," Remus answered, pushing Sirius through the door._

_Lily was sitting up in her bed holding what looked like a blue bundle of blankets. James and Naomi sat on either side of her, beaming in pride._

"_Hey, Sirius," James said when he spotted his best friend._

"_Hey," Sirius said, watching Lily and sticking his hands in the pockets of his Muggle jeans._

"_You can come over, you know," Lily said exhaustedly, but wearing a large smile._

_Sirius nodded and moved further into the room._

"_I'll, er, just wait outside with Remus and Peter," Naomi said, standing. As she moved past him, she squeezed Sirius' arm in comfort. Sirius tried to smile at her, but only succeeded in lifting a corner of his mouth._

"_Have a seat, Padfoot. Meet my son," James said, wearing the widest smile Sirius had ever seen on him._

_Sirius sat beside Lily on her right. The redhead tilted the bundle of blankets so Sirius could just see the small face protruding from them. The baby had a small tuft of black hair on the top of his pink head. His eyes were closed tightly, his hands loosely holding the blanket._

"_You want to hold him?" Lily asked._

_Sirius sat back in his chair slowly. "I, uh, I don't think so."_

"_Oh, come on, Sirius," James chuckled. "He won't bite. He hasn't even got teeth, yet."_

_Hesitantly, Sirius reached out and took the baby boy from his mother's arms. _

"_Watch the head," James instructed, looking over Lily to watch Sirius._

_Sirius nodded and cradled the baby close to his chest. "Hey, kiddo," he said quietly. "He's so small," he added to Lily and James. "Hi, Harry. I'm your Uncle Padfoot."_

_Keeping his eyes on Harry, Sirius missed the look and nod Lily gave James. They seemed to have a silent conversation with facial expressions—something the Marauders had mastered in their day—that Lily ended up winning. _

_James cleared his throat. "Sirius?"_

"_Yeah?" Sirius said, not looking away from Harry's closed eyelids. _

"_Er, Lily and I were discussing it, and we, uh, we want you to be Harry's godfather," James said nervously._

_At this, Sirius did look up. "What?" he muttered in disbelief._

"_We want you to take care of our son should anything happen to us," Lily explained, reaching over to softly flatten Harry's hair._

"_Me? But... what about Remus? I mean, he's the responsible one," Sirius said blankly._

"_True," Lily said with a look to James. "But there's the issue of the Ministry and their stand against werewolves. They'd never allow it."_

"_Oh," Sirius said. "Forgot about that..."_

"_So... will you be Harry's godfather, Sirius?" James asked._

_Sirius looked down at the baby in his arms and gave Harry the first true smile he'd shown in three months. "I would be honored, James," he said softly._

"_Told you he'd say yes," Lily muttered, smacking James playfully on the shoulder._

"_Is Naomi going to be his godmother?" Sirius asked, looking up at the new parents._

"_Actually, no," Lily answered quietly and sadly. "I wanted Julia as the godmother. And we decided, and Naomi was all for it, that in her memory, we wouldn't give Harry a godmother."_

"_She'd like that," Sirius whispered, looking back at Harry._

_Slowly, Harry opened his eyes. The newborn took hold of Sirius' finger that was gently massaging his hand. Harry's mouth curled into what was unmistakably a smile. Sirius felt his heart lighten immensely as he smiled back widely._

* * *

Remus stood in the center of his bedroom at Number Twelve debating on whether or not he should clean. He hadn't seen Sirius since he'd gone for his shower, and wondered if his friend had finally succeeded in drowning himself.

The knock on his door, however, answered his question in the negative. "Come in," Remus called.

"Hey," Sirius said, opening the door and leaning against the frame, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," Remus said back. "You look like you're feeling better," he added, noting the smile on his friend's face.

Sirius nodded. "I am," he said. "You?"

Remus shrugged and sat on his bed. "I suppose. A little of the shock is still there, but all in all, I'm all right."

"Good. So, I thought we could go out and eat tonight. Maybe see one of those movie things on the big televizzies," Sirius said.

Remus chuckled. "And what brought this on?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, I thought we could both use a boys' night out," he replied.

"Sounds good," Remus replied, nodding.

Ten minutes later, the two friends made their way out of Number Twelve. Before Apparating to town, Remus turned to Sirius. "And it's television, by the way," he said.

"Whatever," Sirius replied with a grin. "Race you!" he added before Disapparating with a _pop_.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he muttered with a smile before following his friend.


	21. Twenty One

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-One_

Harry stepped off the Hogwarts Express right behind Hermione and Ron. Four Aurors were standing at the barrier to the Muggle world, instructing students when it was safe to pass through. It took nearly an hour to reach the front of the line, during which Ron and Hermione promised to visit Harry at Grimmauld Place—they were both quite interested in seeing the home that Sirius had grown up in—Hermione for the history, Ron for the lack of anything better to do over summer holidays.

Since the house was under a strong Fidelius Charm, Albus Dumbledore would have to be the one to tell Harry's friends how to get there. Harry made a mental note to remind Sirius and Remus to talk to Dumbledore when he got home.

"Next," called the Auror in charge of the students. Harry couldn't recall his name "Hey, Harry. Black's waiting for you just on the other side. Have a good summer."

"Thanks," Harry said with a smile. He crossed through the barrier and was met with a pair of strong arms grabbing him around his waist from behind, pulling him away from the crowd. Out of pure instinct, Harry reached up and hit his attacker hard in what felt like the face.

"Ow, Harry! Damn," Sirius cried, releasing Harry and grabbing at his eye.

When his heart had stopped racing, Harry had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry," he said, picking up his trunk and Hedwig's cage from where he'd dropped them. "You all right?"

"No. I'm going to have a black eye thanks to you," Sirius said, his hand covering his eye. "Not a bad hit, though," he added with a grin.

"You're such a girl," Harry grinned back. "Where's Remus?" he added, looking around for his favorite werewolf.

"He's busy today," Sirius said evasively. "He'll be around tonight."

"Okay," Harry said slowly, handing his trunk to Sirius as they made their way through the train station.

Once again, a Ministry car had been provided to take the pair back to Number Twelve. During the ride, Sirius filled Harry in on what had been happening since they'd seen each other the week before. Voldemort had been eerily silent since his attack on Hogwarts, and though he hadn't said it aloud, Harry could tell his godfather was uneasy by the calmness in their world. '_The calm before the storm...'_ Harry recalled the Muggle term he'd heard Remus use a few times when Sirius hadn't pulled any pranks for an unusual amount of time.

They arrived in front of Numbers Eleven and Thirteen and took Harry's belongings from the boot of the car. Sirius handed him a slip of parchment that read: '_The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.' _Harry already knew what to do and handed the parchment back to Sirius for immediate burning, once away from the eyes of Muggles, and they made their way up the front stairs.

"Keep quiet, Harry," Sirius murmured as he opened the front door with a tap of his wand.

Harry nodded and followed Sirius into the house. Sirius gestured for Harry to go up the stairs while he closed the doors. The younger wizard tiptoed past Mrs. Black, up the stairs, and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

"Right." Sirius put a sleeping Hedwig on Harry's desk "It's not as good as your room back at the cottage, but it'll do. Get your stuff unpacked and put away, and come down to the kitchen. We've got something to discuss," he said gravely.

"I didn't do it," Harry said automatically. Being raised by Marauders did strange things to one's psyche.

"'Atta, boy." Sirius grinned proudly, ruffling Harry's hair. "See you downstairs."

Sirius left the bedroom, with Harry wondering what he could have possibly done in the past week to cause Sirius to take that, er, serious tone of voice.

Harry quickly put his school things in their proper places and made his way down the stairs in the direction of the basement kitchen. As he passed a linen closet, he could feel eyes upon him, but when he turned to look, the closet was empty. Harry raised an eyebrow and continued on his way. He entered the kitchen to find Sirius sitting on a counter, talking quietly with Emmeline Vance.

"Hello, Harry," Emmeline greeted with a smile.

"Hello," Harry said, glancing questioningly at Sirius. Had his godfather found another girlfriend?

"Have a seat, Harry," Sirius said, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, looking from Sirius to Emmeline. "What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened. I've just been really tired. Sit, stay a while," Sirius said with a smile. Harry obeyed and slowly sat across from Emmeline. Sirius jumped off the counter and summoned three butterbeers for them to drink. He passed the bottles around the table and sat between the other two.

"You want to start?" Sirius asked Emmeline.

The witch rolled her eyes but smiled. "Harry, what do you know about Occlumency?" she asked.

"Er," Harry said, looking at Sirius.

"I'll take that as not much." Emmeline chuckled. "Well, in simple terms, Occlumency is the art of blocking one's mind from outside invasion. I've been asked by Headmaster Dumbledore to teach you these skills in order to keep Lord Voldemort from penetrating your mind when you're most vulnerable. Mainly, when you're asleep."

Harry's eyebrows rose a bit. Emmeline had actually said the name. _I think I might like her... _

"Harry, you know about the prophecy," Sirius said, looking graver than Harry had ever seen him. "You know what's at risk if Voldemort gets a hold on it. My job, and Remus' job, is to make sure you are safe, first and foremost. I will not allow you to get hurt so long as I am around to do so. You have to work hard at this, Harry. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded, looking his godfather in the eye. "When do I start?" he asked quietly.

"Monday, if that's okay with you. I've got a lot of work at the Ministry, but it'll start slowing down by then. I'll come here around six and we'll begin the lessons," Emmeline said. Harry nodded as the witch stood. "I've got to go. It was good seeing you again, Harry, and I'll see you next week."

"Thanks, Emmeline," Sirius said as she left the kitchen. He turned back to Harry to see him staring at the kitchen table. "What?" he said softly.

"Is he after the prophecy?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore thinks so, yes," Sirius said calmly. It reminded Harry of the way Remus acted when he was put on the spot. "That's why you need to study Occlumency. It's not easy, and it's not fun, but if you work at it, it'll do wonders."

Harry nodded, thinking hard about something Sirius couldn't begin to figure out.

"How about some chess while we wait for Moony to get home?" Sirius asked.

* * *

Remus sat down at a table in the back of the Leaky Cauldron after ordering a drink. He'd once again met with Quirrell upon Dumbledore's request. The odd but bright, wizard had many connections with foreign witches and wizards that many in the Order didn't have. Quirrell was hesitant about joining the fight, but after some intense persuasion from Remus, he'd agreed to meet with Dumbledore at the very least.

Remus hadn't been sleeping well in the past week. He wasn't sure if it was due to stress or exhaustion, but he'd been having odd dreams about Sirius and Harry climbing out of Voldemort's wand and playing Quidditch in a golden-colored diamond. He put his head into his hands and closed his eyes while he waited for his drink.

Moments later, a glass was placed next to his arm. He muttered thank you and expected the waitress to walk away. He opened his eyes and looked to his left, spotting a shadow.

"Can I help—" he began, moving his eyes away from the table and up to the witch beside him. His jaw locked as he slowly sat up and back into his chair. "What are you doing here?" he spat quietly, sticking a hand into his robes casually for his wand.

"I work here," she said quietly, not taking her eyes away from Remus'.

"I've never seen you here," Remus replied coldly. He really didn't need this right now...

"I know. But I've seen you in here with Sirius and Harry a lot," she said with a small smile. "He looks just like James."

Remus' temper began to flare at the casual comment. It looked as though it had caused her everything to admit it. "What do you want from me, Naomi?" he growled.

Naomi looked back towards the bar nervously and turned her attention fully to Remus. "Just to talk," she whispered pleadingly.

Slowly, unconsciously, Remus removed his eyes from her hazel ones and glanced down to her left forearm, which was covered by the sleeve of her robe. He hadn't seen her in almost fourteen years and all of a sudden, here she was, right in front of him, twice in one week. He'd loved her with everything he had those many years ago, and she'd crushed him. She'd ruined everything they'd had together, and for what? A tattoo and a Dark Lord who wanted Remus' family dead.

Remus picked up his glass of firewhiskey, drank it in a few gulps, and slammed the glass down on the table, causing a few of the Leaky Cauldron's patrons to start and look at him. Remus stood shakily and turned to Naomi. "I don't think so," he said softly. He began to walk away, but turned around before she was out of earshot. "I'd watch out if I were you," he said casually. "Sirius knows everything."

* * *

Sirius and Harry had played four games of chess while they waited for Remus to get back to Number Twelve. Sirius glanced at his watch worriedly every few moments, wondering if something had happened to his friend during his meeting with Quirrell. Sirius had never met the other man and therefore, didn't trust him one bit.

By one in the morning, Harry was falling asleep at the kitchen table. His arm had knocked Sirius' chess pieces to the floor. He'd refused to go to bed until Remus came in, and Sirius couldn't force himself to do the parental thing and send him to bed.

At two in the morning, Sirius found himself laying his head on his arms, drifting to sleep as well. The slamming of the front door jolted both wizards awake.

"Wha' 'appened?" Harry muttered sleepily, wiping drool from his face as he looked around the kitchen.

Mrs. Black began her screaming three seconds later. Sirius and Harry exchanged a glance and raced up the stairs to the front hall.

"BEASTS! FILTH! ABOMINATIONS!" she shouted.

"Oh shuddup!" Remus was yelling back. Sirius noticed immediately that his friend was wavering as he stood.

"Help me, Harry!" Sirius said over his mother's screams. Together, the two of them pulled the curtains over Mrs. Black's portrait.

They turned to find Remus leaning against a wall, grinning stupidly. "I know you!" he said, pointing a shaking finger at Harry. "You're Prongs' boy!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "Uh, yeah, Remus, that's me."

"I think it's time for bed, Harry," Sirius said slowly. Harry nodded in understanding and made his way up the stairs. "Moony," he said, moving cautiously to his friend. "Are you drunk?"

It was a pointless question; Sirius could smell the firewhiskey on Remus' breath a mile away.

"Nah, Padfoot! M'not drunk!" Remus slurred, still grinning.

"Right, I think it's time you got to bed too, Remus."

"Not tired, Pa'foot," Remus yawned widely, falling over slightly.

Sirius shook his head, put his arm around Remus' waist, and helped him up the stairs.

"Saw Prongs last week, you know," Remus said matter-of-factly as he watched Sirius remove the werewolf's boots and helped him lay down on the bed.

"I know, Remus, I was there," Sirius said. "We'll talk in the morning." Sirius began to move away, but Remus caught his arm.

"You're the best friend ever, Padfoot," Remus said, grinning again.

"Thanks, Remus. Good night," Sirius replied, prying his arm from Remus' grip. He turned off the bedroom lights and shut the door as he left.

Sirius went down the stairs and found Kingsley leaning casually against the front door.

"Don't tell me you're drunk, too," Sirius whispered.

Kingsley chuckled. "No, I'm not drunk. But that doesn't sound too bad at the moment," he added thoughtfully. "Lupin get back all right?"

"Yeah, I just got him upstairs. Did you find him?" Sirius asked, leading his friend to the basement kitchen.

"Yeah. He was in Hogsmeade, across from the Shrieking Shack with an empty bottle of Ogden's, muttering about ex-girlfriends and tattoos."

"Naomi," Sirius muttered. "She became a Death Eater not long before Lily and James died. Only girl Remus ever dated, in or out of Hogwarts."

"Harsh," Kingsley said. "I've never seen a file on a Naomi, though."

"That would be because the only person who ever knew about her being a Death Eater was our drunken friend, until last week," Sirius said.

"Ah," Kingsley said. "Well, I just wanted to make sure he got back okay. He'd have been no match against a Death Eater, had one showed up tonight."

Sirius nodded. "Thanks for that. I'll see you tomorrow."

After Kingsley left, Sirius made his way to his own room, but not before looking in on Harry and Remus. Both were sleeping deeply, snoring loudly.

Sirius hadn't seen Remus so drunk in years. The occasional drink to wind down in the evening was all the werewolf usually had. Sirius was the one who drank until the world seemed normal, and it was odd to see the roles reversed.

Sirius' last thought before he closed his eyes was, _He's gonna feel that in the morning..._

* * *

Sirius walked down to the kitchen the next morning, dressed in his Ministry robes, to find Remus and Harry sitting at the table. Harry was in pajamas still, eating a bowl of cereal and snickering at Remus' appearance.

Remus looked like death warmed over in the sun. He was still in the crumpled robes from the night before, and his normally neat hair was sticking up more than Harry's. A cup of hot coffee sat between his elbows, and he had his head in his hands.

Sirius signaled for Harry to keep quiet as he snuck up behind his friend. "Morning, Moony!" he said loudly, right next to Remus' ear.

Remus jumped a foot in the air and immediately grasped his aching, spinning head. "Dammit, Padfoot," he muttered.

"Language, Remus, there's a child present," Sirius said with a wink to Harry. Harry grinned and shook his head.

"I'm going back to bed," Remus said, slowing standing and making his way up the stairs.

Sirius laughed, sat in Remus' spot, and began to drink Remus' coffee. "Any plans today, Harry?"

"Well, I wanted to go flying, but is there even anywhere I can go in London?" Harry asked, drinking the left over milk from his cereal.

"Hmm," Sirius thought. "A few blocks down, there is a field James and I used to fly in during summer holidays. Whether or not Muggles have found it, I don't know. Back then, somebody put up repellent charms around it."

Harry nodded. "Can I go check it out?"

Sirius shrugged. "Fine by me," he said. "But leave a note for our hung-over werewolf, and be back before dark."

"Yeah, what was up with him last night?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, Harry. Sorry you had to see that. He hasn't done that, as far as I know, since after your parents died," Sirius said honestly. "I'm going to have a talk with him tonight and see what the hell was going on. I'll see you later, kid. Be careful flying," he said, standing and ruffling Harry's hair. He stepped into the fireplace and said clearly, "Ministry of Magic."

Harry looked into the fireplace pensively for a few moments before heading up to his room for his Firebolt.

* * *

Sirius' workload that day was larger than normal. As he sorted through the paperwork, he seriously contemplated leaving the Ministry and flying with Harry for the day.

But of course, being the Head Auror, he couldn't possibly do that; it would be highly unprofessional. Kind of like the time he and Kingsley had ducked out of work early a few years ago to go to that Quidditch match...

He found a report Kingsley had written about the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. It wasn't really a report so much as a long piece of parchment with a load of scribbled notes with question marks beside most of them. A list of Death Eaters Kingsley had recognized was written along the edge, along with a list of people injured during the battle on the Ministry's side.

One thing Sirius could say about his second-in-command was that he had an amazing memory for detail. There were three columns with small numbers beside them for the Unforgivable Curses Kingsley had heard, and if possible, by whom they had been used.

Towards the end of the "report" was a word that had been embellished and circled numerous times: "How?" It didn't take a genius to figure out what the word was referring to. How _did_ Voldemort and his Death Eaters Disapparate from Hogwarts grounds at the exact same time? (Did they Disapparate?)

Sirius recalled Voldemort touching his left arm with the tip of his wand and the Death Eaters glowing blue before disappearing. But as everyone from Dumbledore to Hermione Granger had pointed out, you can't Apparate or Disapparate from Hogwarts grounds. Dumbledore had been investigating the occurrence—which, in Sirius' opinion, meant he was asking Snape.

Kingsley entered Sirius' office a few minutes later and handed him a fresh cup of coffee. "Thought you could use a break," he said, sitting in front of Sirius.

"When it comes to paperwork, I could use a break every five minutes, mate," Sirius said, sipping his coffee. He grinned suddenly."Speaking of which, I was just going over your, uh, _report_."

Kingsley chuckled. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I was in a hurry. Thought you might want something sooner rather than two months down the line."

"No worries," Sirius said. "I—" he broke off as a frantic young Auror rushed into his office.

"We've got a problem," he panted.

"What else is new?" Sirius muttered, causing Kingsley to snort into his own coffee.

"Azkaban's been invaded. The prisoners, dementors, and wizard guards are gone. All of them," the Auror said.

"What? When?" Sirius yelled, jumping from his chair.

"Early this morning, apparently. We just got word from the Minister. Nobody discovered it until the guards going in for the shift change showed up and found the place deserted."


	22. Twenty Two

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Two_

The fortress of Azkaban had always been one of those places the entire wizarding community believed to be impossible to infiltrate. The mere feeling of the island was enough to make one want to run and hide under their bed. Azkaban was like Hogwarts; nobody dared attack or raid the prison.

But with the attack on Hogwarts still fresh in their minds, the wizarding world found themselves facing yet another weakness in their midst. The prison's wards had been completely dismantled, allowing Apparition directly onto the island—something that was highly prohibited and punishable by the Ministry of Magic.

Sirius Black was one of the first to arrive on the island after it had been discovered that Azkaban was deserted. The feelings of impending doom he normally felt when he arrived at the prison were replaced by confusion, anger, and distress. The dementors were gone, along with the hundreds of prisoners that had been held there. There were no traces of where they had gone, either. No footprints, no magical residue, nothing...

For the first time in his career, Sirius didn't know where to begin or what to do. He had nothing to work with, no clues to help decipher the mystery. He was lost.

"Pettigrew's gone," Kingsley said quietly after his own search of the prison. "Why would they take a soulless Death Eater?"

"To make us ponder that exact question," Sirius said flatly, looking around the island. He didn't have time to wonder about the location of his soulless ex-friend; he had hundreds of psychotic maniacs on the loose. "Do we at least have a list of prisoners?"

"Tonks and Avery are getting the records together," Kingsley confirmed.

Sirius nodded pensively.

It wasn't hard to figure out who had raided Azkaban Prison, or why, for that matter. Voldemort now had the most dangerous, most feared witches and wizards in the country in his ranks once more. If things were bad before this, it wasn't difficult to conclude that things had just gotten much worse.

Sirius made his way around the island and inside the prison for the fifth time since his arrival. He was only doing it to make the reporters believe he was taking this seriously. While he was taking the breakout seriously, deathly seriously in fact, without anything to work with, there wasn't much he could do at the moment.

An hour past sunset, Sirius gathered his Aurors around the entrance of the prison for a quick briefing before they went home or back to the Ministry, and professionally explained to his team the consequences that would befall them if they spoke with reporters. Once he had them all petrified (well, not Kingsley and Tonks so much—nevertheless they understood that Sirius wanted no inside leaks of information), he assigned a team to stand guard on the island until morning.

Glaring at the reporters that had congregated on the edge of the island, Sirius, Kingsley, and Tonks said goodbye to the other Aurors and Apparated just outside Order Headquarters.

"Tonks, if you trip over that bloody troll's leg again, I will personally make sure you are on Floo Regulation watch for the next month," Sirius said irritably, feeling the beginnings of a migraine as he lead them up the front path of Number Twelve.

"A bit testy tonight, isn't he?" Tonks muttered to Kingsley.

"I heard that," Sirius said, tapping his wand on the front door and opening it. The three Aurors entered the house and began to make their way to the kitchen. A pair of eyes on the second landing, however, caused Sirius to send the other two ahead of him.

He walked tiredly up the stairs and sat next to where Harry had hidden himself in the shadows. "Spying is illegal, you know," he said lightly, lying back on the floor and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I wasn't spying..." Harry said, looking over the banister. "Why's Snape here?"

Sirius sat back up instantly and looked horrified at Harry. "Snape's here?" he said quickly.

"Yeah, he came in about an hour ago with Dumbledore and McGonagall."

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered, or rather, whined.

"Why are they here?" Harry asked.

Sirius sighed. "We'll talk later. Have you eaten?" Harry nodded. "Good. Go up to your room and keep busy for a few hours. And unless you want your memory modified, I suggest you stay away from the kitchen," he added at Harry's too-quick agreement.

Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat. Sirius smirked knowingly, ruffled his godson's hair, and rose from the floor. With a final glance to be sure Harry was indeed going up the stairs, Sirius made his way to the apparently impromptu Order meeting occurring in the basement kitchen.

Snape was standing before the Order, explaining something, when Sirius walked in. The Potions Master paused long enough to glare at Sirius as he sat in between Remus and Arthur.

"Don't let me stop you," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair and earning a slap in the back of his head from Remus.

"As I was saying," Snape continued, "the Dark Lord has developed what could be called a portkey to transport himself and his Death Eaters away from battle at his convenience. As demonstrated at Hogwarts last week, though the Dark Lord does not carry the Mark himself, he need only touch his forearm with his wand to activate this portkey. To my knowledge, Lucius Malfoy was the test subject for this discovery when he appeared to Azkaban Island last year. Every Death Eater, since the Dark Lord's return, has been equipped with this portkey, and it will only function when the Death Eater is in close proximity to the Dark Lord."

"Wait a second," Sirius interrupted before he could stop himself. "Does that mean Voldemort was at Azkaban last year?"

Snape's jaw clenched, not only at Sirius' interruption, but also at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. "Yes, _Black_, that's exactly what it means," he said through clenched teeth. Sirius and Kingsley exchanged a glance—that would explain many things...

"How does this portkey work?" Emmeline asked.

"I am not positive, but I believe it is some sort of charm," Snape answered with more patience than he had with Sirius.

"Why did You-Know-Who attack Hogwarts in the first place?" Molly wondered aloud.

"I believe the answer to that is obvious: he wished to finish off Harry Potter that night. Obviously, he failed, and he was none too pleased when I met with him the following evening."

Sirius ignored the tone of slight disappointment when Snape talked about Harry, for the time being. "And just for my personal interest, where were you that night?"

Again, Remus smacked Sirius. Many of the other Order members looked up interestedly for Snape's answer. "That is not important, Sirius," Dumbledore said, standing and looking as though he wished to join in on Remus' attack on Sirius' head.

Sirius slumped back in his chair as Snape moved from the head of the table back to a dark corner. _He acts more and more like a spider as the years go on. Probably from living in those bloody dungeons for half his life,_ Sirius thought. He amused himself for a moment at the thought of smashing a spider-Snape under his boot.

"As you are all undoubtedly aware, the fortress of Azkaban has been raided," Dumbledore said, taking charge of the meeting once more. "While this is an unfortunate occurrence, it should not lessen our resolve in the fight against Voldemort. Many of the Death Eaters who returned to Voldemort's ranks are familiar foes to the Ministry, and to many of you present tonight."

Sirius sighed as a few heads turned his way. It was a known fact that one of the freed Death Eaters was his dear, sweet, psychotic cousin.

The meeting went on for another hour. Sirius was asked to report his findings at Azkaban just before they ended for the night. It was a short speech, however, since he'd found absolutely nothing there.

Dumbledore dismissed the Order and asked to speak privately with Molly and Arthur. The three of them were left alone in the kitchen while Sirius and Remus showed the Order members out. Luckily for them, Snape had departed on his own.

"How're you feeling?" Sirius asked casually, sitting on the bottom stair while Remus leaned against the door.

"Fine, no thanks to you," Remus replied, looking at his friend.

"Oh, so that's why I'm going to have a bruise on the back of my beautiful head in the morning, eh?" Sirius said thoughtfully.

"You're an arrogant bastard, Sirius. And no, that's not why I kept slapping you. There's no point in goading Snape on like that—he'll start something without your help."

"Don't lecture me, Remus. I'm not in the mood," Sirius said, massaging his temples. "What does Harry know about the Order?"

Remus sighed at the change of subject. "Only what we told him when we moved in here, and what you told him last night when you told him about Occlumency," Remus said.

"So nothing, then," Sirius muttered. "He wants to know why Snape's here."

"And you want to tell him... what, exactly?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Remus' slightly sarcastic tone. "He should know what's going on, Remus."

Remus could feel an argument quickly approaching, like a volcano ready to explode. Sirius' voice was calm but firm, a good indication that the Auror was preparing to battle. "There's a reason he's taking Occlumency. If Voldemort was to break through into his mind right now... Harry's already in Order Headquarters. Do you really think he needs to know more?"

"What, so now he's a liability?" Sirius asked heatedly.

Remus clenched his jaw. "That's not what I said, and you know it," he said through gritted teeth.

"No, but that's what you meant," Sirius said calmly.

"Do you always need an argument?" Remus asked, pushing himself from the door. "You have a bad day and now you want to take it out on everyone else, is that what this is? Good night, Sirius," he said, ending the conversation and walking past Sirius to his bedroom.

Sirius stayed at the foot of the stairs and waited for Dumbledore and the Weasleys to emerge from the basement and leave for the night. His only point to Remus was that Harry should be informed of some of what was going on within the Order. As far as Dumbledore was concerned, as he mentioned the boy's name at least twice every meeting, Harry would play a large role in the war, and he, in Sirius' opinion, had more right than most in the Order to know what was happening, even if they didn't include him in the meetings.

Dumbledore finally led Molly and Arthur up from the kitchen. They said good night to Sirius, asking him to say good night to Remus and Harry for them, and left the house. Sirius slowly made his way up the stairs and to Harry's room. He knocked and entered to find his godson hunched over a book. "Hey, kid," he said, sitting on Harry's bed. "What're you working on?"

"Potions," Harry muttered, not looking away from his book. Sirius groaned in sympathy. "What'd you do to Remus?" the boy asked a moment later.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Harry sat his quill down on the desk and turned to face Sirius. "What did you do to Remus?" he repeated clearly. "He passed my room without stopping to say good night, muttering about getting you neutered."

"Ouch," Sirius said, wincing at the very idea. "Nothing for you to worry your little head about, Harry. So, any plans for the summer?"

"You mean, besides learning to defend my mind from the evil wizard who wants my head above his fireplace?"

"Besides that, yes."

"Nope, that's about it," Harry said lightly.

Sirius chuckled and let his eyes wander towards Harry's bedside table, which held an old picture of the Marauders on Lily and James' wedding day.

"Sirius?" Harry said hesitantly.

"Mmm?"

"Who was that woman that came out of Voldemort's wand after my parents?"

Sirius sighed. He'd never spoken of Julia to Harry before tonight. He'd only talked to Remus about her once or twice in the past eight years, and even then he'd changed the subject abruptly. "She would have been your godmother," he said quietly, looking into Harry's green eyes.

"Oh," was all Harry could say, noting the saddened look in Sirius' own eyes.

"You would have loved her," Sirius whispered with a smile. "She never took any crap from anyone. Least of all me or James." Harry smiled and allowed his godfather to reminisce for a moment.

"How was flying today?" Sirius asked after a few quiet moments.

"Not bad," Harry nodded. "The clearing behind the cottage was better, though."

Sirius nodded. "I miss the cottage, too. Of course, anywhere is better than this bloody place."

Harry chuckled. "Hey, at least you're not stuck here every minute of every day."

"I would have to kill myself if that ever happened, Harry," Sirius said flatly. "And now I am going to bed. The Ministry's going to be hell tomorrow..."

* * *

Remus made his way to the basement kitchen the next morning for breakfast. He would have to leave soon on Order business for Dumbledore. He would be organizing a plan to increase the wards around Azkaban. The Ministry of Magic had contacted the Headmaster the night before, after the Order meeting, and Remus had only received an owl from Dumbledore that morning, asking him to look up all the former charms and spells surrounding the prison. He—

"Master does not know..." Remus heard Kreacher muttering. "Master and his nosy werewolf and their brat don't know what Kreacher knows..." Kreacher began to laugh croakily while Remus stood beside an open door with a raised eyebrow.

Calmly, Remus crossed the threshold of the room. Kreacher was bent over a stack of old Black family photos, busy tearing out Sirius' face from them. "You know, Kreacher, I don't think Sirius would appreciate what you're doing to his photos," Remus said.

Kreacher started and turned to face Remus. "Kreacher is only taking out the rest of the Black family. He is not harming _Master's _photo." A grin spread across Kreacher's ugly face. "Horrible Mudblood-loving blood traitor he is," he muttered in a tone he obviously believed to be under his breath. Remus, however, heard him loud and clear.

"Stay out of trouble, Kreacher," Remus said slowly, leaving the house-elf alone with the photos. They would have to keep a closer watch on Kreacher in the future. The old house-elf was mad, at best. Granted, Sirius probably didn't help matters by locking Kreacher in the upstairs bathroom before every Order meeting. Remus and Dumbledore had warned Sirius on many occasions about mistreating Kreacher. There were still a few Black family members alive who just so happened to be Death Eaters. And Kreacher knew enough about what the Order was doing to report to Narcissa Malfoy, or worse, Bellatrix Lestrange.

Harry was sitting at the kitchen table when Remus entered. The _Daily Prophet_ was lying open against a jug of pumpkin juice while Harry read. The teenager made no move to signal he was aware of Remus' entrance into the kitchen. The elder raised an eyebrow, poured himself a cup of coffee, and sat at the table beside Harry.

Remus picked up a corner of the newspaper and dropped it quickly as he spotted the bony face of Bellatrix Lestrange glaring at him. It was too early in the day to have to look at that face...

"How can she be Sirius' cousin?" Harry asked, slowly taking a bit of his cereal. "They don't even look like each other."

"When they were younger, they looked like they could be brother and sister. But don't tell Sirius I told you that. He used to hex people who asked him why his sister was a Slytherin," Remus said.

"I'd probably do the same thing," Harry said. Beside the article on the Azkaban escapees was a list of crimes committed by the more dangerous criminals. A picture of Peter Pettigrew staring dazedly at him stirred something in Harry's mind. "I had a dream about him..." he whispered.

"What?" Remus said, looking up quickly from the article he was reading on incompetent Ministry officials, written by Rita Skeeter.

"Yeah..." Harry said slowly, his brow furrowing in thought. "It was a few weeks ago... I forgot all about it."

"And what was the dream?" Remus asked, not sure if he really wanted to know.

"It's kind of blurry, but Wormtail was here, in this kitchen, standing with his back to the door. I walked up to him—at least, I think it was me—and tapped him on the shoulder. That's where it ended," Harry said.

"Did your scar hurt afterwards?"

Harry shook his head. "No. That's why I forgot about it, I think."

Remus nodded. It made absolutely no sense for Harry to be dreaming about Wormtail. Maybe it wasn't Wormtail... No, Harry had seen enough pictures of the man to know what he looked like, even from behind. "Do you remember anything else?"

"No," Harry said regretfully. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Remus muttered distractedly. "Listen, do you think you'll be all right here alone for a few hours? I've got some things to do for Dumbledore and you can't come with me, and—"

Harry laughed at Remus' rambling. "Remus, I'm almost fifteen. I think I can handle a few hours alone in a big bad house."

Remus smiled. "Right. Sometimes I forget you're not six years old anymore. You're just too darn cute," he said, pinching Harry's cheek.

"Ow, Remus! Stop!" Harry said.

Remus laughed and ruffled Harry's hair. "If you need anything, Sirius should have the two-way mirror on him."

"Kay," Harry muttered, turning to the sports page. "See you later."

"See you," Remus said before going up the stairs.

* * *

Harry spent the afternoon reading up on Occlumency from a book Emmeline had lent him. The subject was actually quite interesting when it came to different ways dark wizards would penetrate the mind. Invading dreams seemed to be the most popular scenario, unfortunately for Harry. One wizard had delved so deep into the mind of another that he had gone insane.

"You know, if I keep catching you reading and studying, I'm going to think you've turned into Remus," said a muffled voice from beside Harry's leg.

Harry looked down at the two-way mirror and smiled at Sirius. "Hey. I was just reading up on Occlumency. Figured I ought to know something before my lessons."

"Uh huh," Sirius grinned. "Listen, can you tell Remus I'm going to be a little late tonight? We're still trying to figure out how the wards on Azkaban were dismantled."

"Yeah, sure," Harry said. "And if you're lucky, I might even save you some dinner."

"If you eat my dinner, you're grounded," Sirius said.

"Whatever you say, Sirius," Harry grinned.

"I'm serious!"

"That's what I said!" Harry said. "See you tonight."

Sirius disappeared from the mirror, and Harry placed it on the table in front of him. He closed his book and stood from the library sofa.

Harry went into the kitchen for a butterbeer and a snack. He jumped when he heard a sound from inside the fireplace—someone was trying to Floo in. Remus had placed a charm on the fireplace so that no unwanted guests would be permitted inside. Harry took out his wand and waited. After a moment, a shape began to form and emerge from the fireplace.

Harry lowered his wand and grinned. He'd know that form anywhere. "Hey, Hagrid," he said when the half-giant stumbled across the grate.

"'Lo, 'arry," Hagrid murmured. "Always hated Floo."

Harry chuckled and pulled out a chair for the visitor. Once Hagrid's green color from Floo travel had mostly faded, Harry asked, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Eh? Oh, uh, jus' needed to talk wit' Sirius or Remus. They here?" Hagrid asked.

"No, Sirius is working late and Remus is doing something for Dumbledore," Harry answered.

"Oh, well, it's not important or nothing," Hagrid said unconvincingly. "Jus' needed some information."

"What kind of information?"

"Nothin' you need to be worryin' 'bout," said Hagrid firmly.

Harry raised an eyebrow, but knew better than to press the subject. He offered Hagrid a butterbeer, but the gamekeeper declined; he had to be getting back to Hogwarts soon.

Not ten minutes later, Hagrid left and Harry went back up the stairs to the library to continue his study of Occlumency.

* * *

While Harry was down in the kitchen, Kreacher snuck into the library, searching for an old pendant that had belonged to his mistress. He passed by the coffee table and noticed a book lying beside an old mirror. Kreacher recalled that his mistress' blood-traitor son used to talk with his filthy Gryffindor friends with it; he'd eavesdropped enough on his mistress' son in his youth to know what it was.

Kreacher reached out for the mirror and hid it in his pillowcase-toga in one swift movement. Forgetting about what he was doing in the library in the first place, Kreacher headed up to the attic.


	23. Twenty Three

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Three_

Two days before Harry's Occlumency lessons would begin, Remus opened his eyes groggily as the sun began to sneak through the curtains above his bed. He could hear Sirius and Harry moving around outside his door, but couldn't bring himself to extricate his body from the warm comfort of his bed.

Last night had been yet another late one for the wizard. He and Tonks had taken their shift guarding the Department of Mysteries. While they had been granted permission by the Minister for Magic herself, Dumbledore and Moody had still insisted they stay under Invisibility Cloaks. Thankfully, the night was quite uneventful; Remus didn't know if he could handle another duel so close to the full moon.

At long last, Remus pushed his covers away from his body and got out of bed. He stretched his back and groaned as a sharp pain shot from his leg to his stiff neck. _I need a vacation_, he thought, digging through his dresser for a decent looking pair of jeans. _If I keep going like this, I'm going to be dead by forty._ He winced at the thought of turning forty and went to the bathroom to clean up before joining Sirius and Harry for a Saturday morning breakfast.

Down in the basement kitchen, he poured himself the traditional cup of coffee and sat across from Harry as Sirius placed a plate of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast before Remus. Sirius picked up his own plate and sat between the other two.

"All right, Moony?" Sirius asked concernedly, pouring syrup all over his food.

"Fine," Remus muttered, picking up his fork and starting on his own breakfast. "Just really tired and sore."

"Sounds like you're getting old, Remus." Sirius smirked.

"You're older than I am, Sirius," Remus said flatly, sipping his coffee.

Sirius shrugged. "Only by a few months. Besides, you don't see me looking like the walking dead." He grinned. "Oh and by the way, Molly and Arthur are coming over tonight."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Molly said something about us needing a good home-cooked meal. She seems to think you and Harry are too thin," Sirius said with another shrug. "And I wasn't going to argue with free food."

"Is Ron coming too?" Harry asked thickly through his eggs.

"Think so," Sirius said. "And I've told you before, don't talk with your mouth full," he added with a wink.

Harry rolled his eyes and swallowed his food. "Can Hermione come over?"

"Fine by me," Sirius said. "Okay by you, Moony?" He turned to his friend and found him asleep, his head held up by his hand. Sirius raised an eyebrow and poked Remus' shoulder. "Moony," he said. "Wakey, wakey. You going to eat this? No? Right, thanks." Sirius reached over the table and stole Remus' bacon.

As he chewed, looking away from the sleeping werewolf, a hand hit Sirius hard in the back of his head and stole his toast. "Teach you not to eat my breakfast," Remus muttered, buttering Sirius' toast.

"I thought you were asleep!" Sirius said, rubbing his head.

"You think too much; that's your problem," Remus said casually, grinning at Harry.

"He's right, you know," Harry said.

"What is this? 'Gang up on the Auror day'?" Sirius asked in mock outrage.

"No, it's 'Gang up on the long-haired hippie day.' Get it right," Remus countered, taking Sirius' last piece of bacon.

"I'm not a long-haired hippie, thank you very much. And I don't have to take this abuse," Sirius said, standing. "There're other people who actually appreciate my company."

"Name one," Harry challenged.

"Kingsley," Sirius said promptly.

"He can't stand you. He only puts up with your crap because you're his boss," Remus said.

"I see how it is," Sirius said, nodding. "Fine, then. I'll be upstairs when you two ungrateful prats feel like apologizing." He turned on his heel and headed up the stairs. He could hear the laughter of his family until he reached the second landing.

* * *

"So this is where Sirius grew up, huh?" Ron said, looking around the drawing room later that night.

"Yep," Harry answered. "My room is actually his old room. He can't stand to be in there longer than fifteen minutes."

"Didn't Sirius have a brother?" Hermione asked, examining an old Black family photograph that had somehow escaped Sirius' purge of family artifacts.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mention that to Sirius. Regulus is sort of a sore spot. According to Sirius, the only brothers he ever had were my dad and Remus."

"Still, it must have been interesting, growing up here. Even though the majority of the family turned out to be Death Eaters, there's still a lot of history here," Hermione said, her eyes glowing like they always did when she found something truly remarkable by her high standards.

"I can assure you, Hermione, it wasn't all that great," Sirius said flatly from the door. The trio started and turned. "Molly sent me up to tell you dinner will be on the table in five minutes. Go wash up."

Ron and Hermione left the room, but Sirius held his godson back. "Just so you know, Remus noticed a few books missing from the library today. I don't think he's realized which books just yet, but for your sake, get them back there soon," he said quietly.

Rather than act innocent in front of the man who had practically invented the innocent look, Harry nodded. Sirius grinned, winked, and headed back to the kitchen.

* * *

Molly had prepared a large roast beef dinner with so many side dishes, the table literally groaned under the weight of it all. "Does it do that often?" Ron asked, eyeing the table warily.

"Sometimes," Sirius said nonchalantly. "As far as I know it's safe, though."

Hesitantly, Ron sat between Harry and Remus and began to fill his plate. Ginny had gone to Luna Lovegood's house for the night while Fred and George remained at home with Charlie and Percy.

During dinner, Arthur began telling them about a report he'd gotten on a Muggle motorbike that had been charmed to buck off any rider but the owner. A Muggle thief had tried to steal the bike and was sent to St. Mungo's for serious injuries and memory modification.

"It worked, though," Ron said thickly through his mashed potatoes. "I mean, the bloke didn't get his bike stolen."

"Well, yes, but that's not the point. That Muggle could have died," Arthur said.

"Would have served him right," Sirius said. "If someone would have tried to steal my motorcycle, I'd have killed them myself."

"You have a motorcycle?" Hermione asked interestedly.

"_Had_," Sirius emphasized the word. "I loaned it to Hagrid on the night..." he trailed off, looking quite uncomfortable and a bit confused. "Well, I loaned it to Hagrid a while back, and I never saw it again," he added hastily, finding his green beans very interesting.

"It was a nice motorbike, too," Remus said, trying to get the attention off of Sirius. "Lily was never too fond of it. But I suppose that was because Sirius took Harry out for a fly on it when he was six months old."

Everybody but Molly laughed at the image, or in some cases, the memory. "_For a fly?_" she said, glaring slightly at Sirius. "You took a six-month-old for a fly? Are you mad?"

"Yes," Remus and Harry said in unison.

"He was safe," Sirius said defensively. "I never would have let anything happen to him."

Molly pursed her lips tightly rather than start an argument on being responsible with Sirius.

* * *

Once dinner and dessert were finished, Remus assisted Molly with the dishes while Harry and his friends went upstairs. Harry closed his bedroom door and showed Hermione and Ron the books he'd found in the Black library on Animagus transformations. Hermione was quite pleased with the information even though she had opted out of becoming an Animagus herself. She thought it better to wait until after graduation from Hogwarts so that she could do it legally.

Ron, who was looking around the room, began to chuckle. "What?" Harry asked while Hermione read up on the next step of the transformation process.

"What... is this?" Ron asked, holding up an old stuffed animal.

"Hey! I've been looking for that!" Harry said in childish excitement, jumping off his bed and snatching the stuffed stag from Ron's grip.

Ron raised an eyebrow as Harry smiled fondly at the toy. "Care to explain?" he asked cautiously.

Hermione looked away from her book. "Prongs, right?" she said with a smirk.

"Yeah. Remus gave it to me when I was six. I never went anywhere without it. But I lost it the year before I started Hogwarts," Harry explained.

"Okay," Ron said slowly.

"Wonder how it got here..." Harry muttered.

"Hey, maybe you'll be a stag like your dad, Harry," Ron said.

"That'd be cool. But Sirius already gets too excited when I do something like my dad, and I don't even want to imagine what turning into a stag in front of him would do," Harry said, grimacing slightly at the idea. "Besides, I want something original."

"Like a giraffe?" Hermione asked innocently.

Harry thought for a moment and shook his head. "Nah, too tall. I was thinking something smaller, like a frog or something," he mused.

"We could call you Hopper." Ron grinned.

"And I could hurt you." Harry grinned back.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Are we going to work on this tonight or not?"

"Right, sorry," Harry said, pushing Ron off the bed.

"Ow! Git!" Ron cried, finding a chair to sit in.

Harry and Hermione chuckled. "So the first thing you need to do is this: close your eyes and imagine a place you feel most comfortable," Hermione said in a soft tone.

Both boys did as they were told. Harry felt himself relax as he imagined himself in the cottage. He could feel Sirius and Remus on either side of him, though he didn't look to see if they were really there. He took a deep breath and felt himself begin to sink into the carpet. Or maybe he was shrinking...

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Ron yelled.

"Ron, shh!" Hermione said. "Wow," she added, astounded. "You did it, Harry."

* * *

Sirius passed a bottle of wine to Remus and listened as Molly told them what Dumbledore wanted to discuss with them. Apparently, the Order's leader was interested in recruiting the older Weasley children (namely Bill and Charlie) into their ranks. Molly had been against is at first, but when Remus began to explain the need for foreign wizards, her motherly resolve faded, just a bit.

"How are you coming along with the werewolves, Remus?" Arthur asked.

"Not too well," Remus answered honestly. "Those that I managed to convince to remain neutral are starting to lean over to Voldemort's—" Arthur choked slightly on his wine. Molly patted him on the back. "—ranks. I may have to make another trip to speak with them again."

"Are you sure that's wise, dear?" Molly asked in her motherly tone. "Werewolves can be quite dangerous in the wild."

Remus held back the urge to raise his eyebrows at the obvious statement. "If anyone can handle it," Sirius said, "it's my Moony."

Remus chuckled as Sirius slapped him on the back. "Thanks, Sirius... I think," he said. "And Molly, I'll be fine."

* * *

The Weasleys Flooed home an hour later, and neither Sirius nor Remus failed to see the grin and wink Ron and Harry exchanged before they left. Hermione took a portkey in the form of an old teacup back to her own home just after the Weasleys left.

"You look excited about something," Remus commented to Harry.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Ron found my stuffed stag," Harry lied obviously. "I was, you know, happy to see it again." Not long after, he made the excuse that he was tired and went to bed.

"What's he up to?" Remus wondered aloud.

* * *

Harry quickly gathered all the books he'd borrowed from the Black library and put them all back in their proper places. He couldn't stop grinning at the memory of his first transformation. It had taken the Marauders three years, but in less than two, Harry had done it.

He made his way back to his bedroom just before Sirius and Remus came up the stairs to their own rooms. He waited for his guardians to come in and say good night while he pretended to pick his room up a bit. Both wizards raised an eyebrow at the sight; Harry never cleaned his room unless one of them told him to do so.

Concentrating hard, Harry felt himself shrink again. He tried to grin in success, but his mouth wouldn't form correctly. He cautiously tried out his new thin legs by walking across his bedspread. He would have to get used to the weak feeling of them. Harry moved his arms up and down in front of his wardrobe mirror and mentally smiled at his completely round form.

_Damn,_ he thought as he spotted the black feather on his golden back in the shape of a lightning bolt. His green eyes now shone more brightly than ever. White feathers around the glistening orbs marked where his glasses would be.

All in all, Harry was quite pleased with his Animagus form, and he couldn't wait to try out his wings. Now, however, he would need to sleep; it would not do to have Sirius and Remus wondering why he was so exhausted the next morning.

* * *

Sirius walked through the house one last time to be sure everything was normal. Being an Auror trained by Alastor Moody gave him a sense of paranoia that the majority of the Aurors didn't have. The paranoia was nowhere near the level of Mad-Eye's, but he still patrolled the house, wand at his side, ready to strike if anything were to come out at him.

He checked in on Harry one last time and saw his godson sleeping soundly in his bed. Harry hadn't had a nightmare since he'd been home, but it had only been six days. Hopefully, Harry would learn to close his mind to Voldemort soon.

Sirius strolled through the library and noticed immediately that Harry had heeded his advice; the Animagus books were where they belonged. Those books had once belonged to James. He'd gotten them when the Marauders were studying Animagus transformations themselves. There had been more, but Sirius figured they'd been destroyed the night Lily and James were killed.

While Sirius didn't want to see Harry in trouble with the Ministry, he also didn't want to hold his godson back from continuing the process. Sirius was quite proud when he found out what Harry had been up to at Hogwarts. Some may say that made him a bad parent, but Sirius would tell you he didn't care too much. Harry was as stubborn as James on a normal day—on others he had the stubbornness of James and Lily combined in him. When his mind was set on something, nothing could stop him.

Sirius left the library and headed downstairs. He double-checked the locks on the front door, and continued on his nightly routine to the basement kitchen.

The Head Auror was well aware of Molly Weasley's views on his competency as a parent to Harry. She believed him to be an irrational bachelor at the best of times, with no right to raise Harry. Of course, she had never come straight out and said these things to Sirius. He'd heard whispered conversations when nobody thought he was listening. Sirius respected Molly more than just about any other person he'd met in the last ten years, but he didn't feel she had any right to say whether or not he was a good parent. He'd done everything he'd known to do—and then some—when it came to Harry. His world revolved around his nearly fifteen-year-old godson. He'd go to hell and back if it meant Harry was happy and safe.

Sirius finished in the kitchen by making sure Kreacher was in his cupboard. "Kreacher has been acting odd lately," Remus had said. "When does he not act oddly?" Sirius had asked. Remus had rolled his eyes and walked away from the conversation, leaving Sirius to wonder what Kreacher had done that would draw Remus' attention.

As he walked through the house towards the stairs, Sirius waved his wand, extinguishing lanterns as he passed. Though he was highly tempted, Sirius subdued the urge to check up on Harry again. There were still rare moments when Sirius, like Remus, believed him to be the same little boy he had been when Sirius had been reunited with him.

He could remember when he was nearing sixteen, living with the Potters after he'd left his own so-called home. Mrs. Potter had always said that Sirius and James would understand how she felt when they had children of their own. She used to check up on the two teenage boys after they'd gone to bed, just as Sirius was doing now. He chuckled as he realized she'd been right, like always.

Mrs. Potter had been exactly like Molly in the sense that, when it came to her children, she was as fierce as a mother dragon. Nobody dared mess with James Potter when his mother was around. The woman was as nice as they came, but could be a little over-protective if the situation warranted. When Sirius had moved in with them, she treated him with the same motherly attention she gave James.

Finally, Sirius made it to his bedroom. He closed his door behind him, changed into his flannel pajama bottoms, and climbed into bed. Sleep caught up with him not long after.

* * *

Down in the dark basement kitchen, behind a small door that contained the house's boiler, Kreacher the house-elf was grinning through his rotted yellow teeth. He'd heard more than enough that evening to continue on with the plan.

"Soon," the elf muttered, "the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black will be empty. And Kreacher and his Mistress can live in peace again."


	24. Twenty Four

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Four_

_**Should Black Resign?**_

_Special Correspondent Rita Skeeter Reporting_

_Since his appointment to the position of Head Auror with the Ministry of Magic seven years ago, Sirius Black has not been fairing much better than his predecessor, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. If anything, Black has made our world worse that it was with the paranoid ex-Auror. _

_After his famed release from Azkaban Prison, where he was being held for "crimes he did not commit," inside sources report Black has moments of rage in which he destroys the Ministry's Auror Headquarters, and forces those below him to pick up the mess. Insiders further report that since the death of his long time girlfriend, Julia Sedler, Black is a borderline alcoholic._

_He has allowed the mass breakout from Azkaban, where his cousin, infamous Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, was also imprisioned to occur. Many seem to believe Black assisted the prisoners to escape. He's further done nothing to end the series of deaths that have occurred since the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. _

_There are also reports of Black's close relationship with Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, being "more than professional." Black, along with Bones, has kept many things from the wizarding public in recent history, including Black's longtime friendship with werewolf Norris Lupin—former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School where Black's godson, Harry Potter, currently attends. _

_Sirius Black is dangerous at the head of our law enforcement. With nearly daily attacks from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, we must ask ourselves one question: Do we really want an unstable, violent alcoholic leading our Aurors into battle?_

* * *

"I think I am going to be sick," Sirius said flatly from behind his desk at the Ministry on Monday morning. Kingsley had walked in, casually, holding the rolled up newspaper. He, casually, asked if Sirius had yet read the _Daily Prophet. _Sirius, knowing his second-in-command so well, knew something wasn't right with the way Kingsley, casually, leaned against the door frame.

"So who's the inside source, d'you reckon?" Kingsley asked—again—casually.

Sirius pointed a finger at his friend threateningly. "If you don't bloody stop that, you are so fired."

Kingsley laughed at his boss' threat—he knew better. "You wouldn't dare," he said. "Somebody's got to clean up the mess you make around here."

Sirius stuck up a finger in a rude gesture, causing Kingsley to laugh harder as he left Sirius' office.

"Asshole," Sirius muttered, slamming his door shut with a wave of his wand.

"Careful, everyone! He's getting violent again!" he heard Kingsley shout. The rest of the Aurors laughed and went back to their business.

Over the past week, since the breakout from Azkaban, things around the Ministry had been, to say the very least, busy. Walking down the corridors to the elevators, one could feel the tenseness of the atmosphere around them. If possible, the community was more worried now than when Voldemort returned.

Posters had been hung in various locations of the escapees and those who had been taken hostage. There were still no leads as to where Voldemort had taken the prisoners. Perhaps he had some secret fortress of his own...?

The entire situation was making Sirius' head spin—too much had happened in such a short span of time. He'd been pulled in for questioning for the simple fact that he shared blood with Bellatrix Lestrange. He, of course, had not an earthly clue as to where she was or he would have captured her a week ago. Her and her bastard of a husband.

Of all of his family members, Sirius despised Bellatrix more than the rest of them combined. Bellatrix had been the reason, in Sirius' opinion, that Regulus had become a Death Eater. She was psychotic and evil when she was twelve, and it only increased as she grew older. Add her lack of mental stability to the fourteen years she'd spent in Azkaban and you've got your worst nightmare walking freely again.

A knock on the door pulled Sirius from his thoughts. "Go away," he said with no conviction. He continued to concentrate on the report he'd been forced to write about Azkaban. Not until he felt eyes watching him did he look up.

Remus was sitting in the chair across from him, a smirk on his face. "What are you smiling about?" Sirius grumbled, setting his quill down.

Remus shrugged, still smirking. "Just never thought I'd ever see you doing homework again."

"Shut it, Norris. Did you read the papers today?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, yes. Harry and I had quite a long, loud laugh over that," Remus grinned.

"I'm glad my pitiful job as Head Auror has brought you entertainment," Sirius said flatly, but allowing a small grin himself. "What are you doing here anyway? Thought you were staying back at Headquarters with Harry."

"Harry's with the Weasley's for the afternoon. I had to come in to register today."

"Register? For what... Oh..." Sirius said in realization.

"Yeah," Remus muttered. "Every year for the past thirty-two years," he said. Ever since his werewolf bite at the age of four, Remus would have to go to the Werewolf Registration offices to update his files.

"How'd that go?"

"Fine. They asked questions, took a few tests, reminded me to stay clear of other people during the full moon and sent me on my way."

"What tests?" Sirius asked.

"Blood."

"Fun."

"Mm-hmm. So are you taking a lunch break anytime soon?"

"May as well. It's not like I have anything better to do at the moment," Sirius said.

"Any luck with Azkaban?" Remus asked as they walked out of Headquarters together.

"Nope. Not one damn clue on anything. They disappeared without a bloody trace. No one has seen hide nor hair—no offense—of any of them. Which shocks the hell out of me; when Voldemort—" a group of elderly wizards squeaked and jumped as they passed. Sirius and Remus ignored them. "—came back, we were getting calls twice an hour about 'sightings'," Sirius said. "Leaky Cauldron, then?"

Remus chuckled. "Fine by me."

"See you there," Sirius said, entering the fireplace in the Atrium.

"I hate Floo," Remus muttered before following Sirius.

* * *

Emmeline Vance arrived at Number Twelve that evening for dinner with Sirius, Remus, and Harry before Harry's first Occlumency lesson.

"It's better to do this on a full stomach," Emmeline said, cutting her steak.

"I think she just wants free food." Remus grinned. Emmeline rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I think someone needs to stop flirting in front of the child," Sirius muttered under his breath as he leaned over Remus to get a slice of bread. Remus slapped him in the forehead.

* * *

After dinner, Emmeline and Harry moved to the library. Emmeline closed the door and curtains, lit a few candles, and placed a silencing charm around the room. During his readings, Harry had learned the easiest way to learn Occlumency was to be in a dimly lit room with no outside noise.

"All right, Harry," Emmeline said, sitting on the edge of a desk. "The first thing I'm going to try and teach you is how to close your mind. The key to this is to close your eyes and void your mind of all thoughts and feelings. Once you've done this, take deep breaths to relax your body," she explained quietly.

Harry did as instructed. There was a faint buzzing in his ears, but he was feeling quite relaxed. "Good," Emmeline said softly and slowly. "Now, Sirius and Remus told me you can throw off the Imperius Curse. We're going to use sort of the same techniques here.

"When the Imperius Curse is performed on a person, there has to be a reasonable amount of power behind it to break through the victim's mind. Our goal is to not allow someone to break through the barriers you set. This will help to keep somebody from performing Imperius on you as well. Does that make sense?" Emmeline asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah," he murmured, his eyes still closed.

"Okay. Now I am going to try and break through to your memories. When you begin to feel me in your mind, try and push me out. Got it?"

"I think so."

"On three, then. One... two... three... _Legilimens_!" Emmeline cried.

The sensation of Emmeline forcing herself into Harry's mind was very different from the feeling of the Imperius Curse. It felt like someone was pushing hard on Harry's forehead. He could, however, feel himself in more control than with Imperius. Emmeline, unfortunately for Harry, had more experience in this particular field. Harry could suddenly see different flashes from his childhood jumbled together. Walking between Sirius and Remus through a perfectly clean home... dancing books in Dumbledore's office... pranking Sirius' shower with Remus by his side.

Those memories immediately filled Harry with happiness and love for his guardians, but the memories began to change. He saw himself being dragged down a staircase by Lucius Malfoy... Wormtail cutting open his arm—

"NO!" Harry shouted.

The memories disappeared and Harry found himself on the floor of the library, breathing heavily. Emmeline was kneeling by his side, her eyes wide. "Oh god, Harry, I'm so sorry," she said, helping Harry from the floor. "I tried to pull back when the memories changed, but I couldn't. Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Harry panted, sitting on the sofa, his sweating head buried in his hands.

"Here, have some chocolate or Remus'll be after my blood," Emmeline said, handing Harry a chocolate bar and sitting beside him.

Harry opened the wrapper, broke off a piece, and popped it in his mouth, letting it melt slowly.

"That was good for your first time. You did push me out eventually. I tried to stick with the happier things, but everything else kind of knocked them out of the way," she said, her voice full of remorse.

"It's okay," Harry said, staring at the fireplace. He hadn't thought about his kidnapping in that sort of detail in years.

"Do you want to try again? I'll understand if you don't."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly, finishing his chocolate and standing.

"All right, this time, I want you to concentrate on pushing me out of your mind. Normally, the easiest way is to use your wand, but since it's summer and you're still underage, it's out of the question. Besides, the stronger you are without a wand, the easier it will be with a wand. On three again... One... Two... Three... _Legilimens_!"

Harry was sitting on Remus' lap reading a book... flying with Sirius in the clearing at the cottage... walking through the forest behind the cottage... dementors were gliding through the trees...

He could feel Emmeline getting deeper inside his thoughts. "NO!" he shouted again. This time he stayed standing, though he was once again breathing heavily. He opened his eyes and saw Emmeline smiling widely at him. "Very good, Harry!" she said. "The whole time I could feel you pushing me out. Not bad at all."

Harry smiled weakly as she handed him another piece of chocolate.

"How do you feel?" Emmeline asked, looking him over critically.

"Tired," Harry said honestly.

"Yeah, Occlumency will do that," she said regretfully. "But you're already better than I was at my first lesson. I ended up in hospital for a week afterwards." Harry chuckled. "We'll try one last time, and then we'll stop for the day. This can get fairly draining for a beginner."

On the third try, Harry succeeded in pushing Emmeline from his mind quickly. There had been a brief glimpse of Harry sitting beside Remus on a hospital bed when he was six, but the memory went no further.

Emmeline was quite pleased with his progress so far. She explained to him the different techniques he could use to close off his mind before sleep. The two arranged another lesson for Wednesday evening and left the library to join Sirius and Remus.

"How'd it go?" Sirius asked, trying not to grin at Remus' blush.

"He's a natural," Emmeline said happily, sitting at the table across from Remus—who avoided the witch's eye—and accepting the butterbeer Sirius handed her. "Few more lessons and he should have the basics down."

"That's my boy," Sirius said proudly, ruffling Harry's hair.

"Stop," Harry muttered, pushing Sirius' hand away. He sat beside Remus and laid his head in his arms, closing his eyes.

He muttered bye and thank you when Emmeline stood to leave half an hour later. He moved around a bit in his chair to get more comfortable and fell asleep.

* * *

"He may be a little weak tonight," Emmeline said to Sirius and Remus at the front door. "But a good night's rest and he'll be back to normal."

"Anything we should watch out for?" Remus asked.

"Well, he might still have dreams until he can fully master Occlumency, but as long as he clears his mind before sleeping, it will be harder for anyone to force themselves in there. One thing I will warn you about, though, I slept walk when I first started learning. It varies from person to person; you might find he'll sleep in later than usual due to the weakened state of his mind," Emmeline explained. "Other than that, nothing."

Sirius nodded. "Well, thank you, again, Emmeline. We will see you on Wednesday."

"Not a problem. I'm happy to help. See you." With a final smile at Remus, Emmeline left.

Sirius made his way back to the kitchen, snickering. Remus rolled his eyes, closed the door, and followed him. "What, may I ask, is so funny?" he said.

"If you don't see it, I have nothing to say," Sirius said airily. "Come on, let's get Harry to bed."

* * *

_Just as Emmeline had said, Harry was dreaming. He was in a large black forest (_Why is it always a forest?_ he wondered as he walked)._

_Up ahead, he could see a large group of black cloaks forming a circle. He pushed through the ranks easily—as if he were meant to be at this meeting. A tall woman with long blonde hair and beautiful hazel eyes was kneeling before Voldemort, her head bowed._

"_Tell me what you know," Voldemort said quietly._

"_Just that they're no longer at the cottage Lupin grew up in. Black and Lupin are very protective of the boy. He is rarely without one of them by his side," the woman said._

"_What do you know of the prophecy?"_

_The woman jerked her head up in surprise. "Prophecy?" she blurted. Realizing her mistake, the woman looked immediately back to the ground. "I know nothing of a prophecy, my Lord."_

_Harry could tell the woman wasn't lying by the look on her face. Were they talking about Harry's prophecy?_

"_How is it," Voldemort hissed to his Death Eaters, "that none of James and Lily Potter's supposed friends know of the prophecy? I find it highly displeasing that in fifteen years none of you have bothered to find me correct information."_

_The woman kneeling before the Dark Lord shivered as Voldemort began to pace around her. "I want this information," Voldemort said in a dangerously soft voice. "I do not care what it takes. The Ministry of Magic has undoubtedly increased their security around the Department of Mysteries. You will, however, find another way in. Or you will have the unpleasant pleasure of answering to me. Is that clear?"_

_A collective "Yes, Master" shivered around the Death Eater's ranks. "Very well," Voldemort said. "Lucius, tell me how our—_test subject_—is fairing..."_

* * *

Harry was being shaken forcefully. He jerked his head up from the table, nearly colliding with someone behind him. Sirius was leaning across the table, watching him concernedly, while Remus knelt beside him. "All right, Harry?" his godfather asked quietly.

Harry gulped and nodded. "F-fine," he whispered.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

Harry explained the events of the dream he'd just seen. When he reached the part about the woman kneeling beside Voldemort, Sirius and Remus exchanged a startled, knowing glance, but said nothing.

They were quite interested in what Voldemort had said about the Department of Mysteries being guarded. When Harry asked what that meant, Remus told him to continue with the dream, earning a glare from Sirius.

"He told Malfoy to update him on how the test subject was fairing, and that's when I woke up," Harry finished.

"Test subject?" Remus questioned, looking at a highly bewildered Sirius.

"That's what he said," Harry muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"Scar hurt?" Sirius asked.

Harry shook his head. "Just a regular headache."

Remus nodded. "I've got some Pomfrey-brand headache potions upstairs. We'll get you some while you get ready for bed. Don't forget those techniques Emmeline showed you."

Harry nodded and allowed Sirius to lead him up the stairs. His head was still spinning from both the Occlumency lesson and the dream. He was surprised his scar hadn't hurt tonight; normally, it was unbearable after a Voldemort dream. Maybe Occlumency wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

"—listening to me, Harry?" Sirius said, tossing the teen his pajamas.

"Sorry, what?" Harry muttered, changing his clothes.

"I said, Arthur and Molly invited you over to their house for dinner before Charlie leaves for Romania," Sirius said.

"Oh, alright," Harry said. "Are you and Remus coming?"

"Probably not. It's Thursday and we've got something to do. And don't ask, because I can't tell you." Sirius chuckled at the look of indignation on Harry's face.

"Okay, Harry, here's your potion. Get some rest and call if you need us," Remus said, entering the room.

"Thanks," Harry murmured, draining the bitter potion.

Sirius and Remus said good night and left the room. Harry closed his eyes, voiding his mind of all thoughts, and began to drift off to sleep.


	25. Twenty Five

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Five_

After the dream Harry had previous to his first Occlumency lesson, Dumbledore reported to Sirius and Remus that Snape had been present at that particular Death Eater meeting. The test subject Voldemort had spoken of was a mystery to the spy, but he said he would look into it.

The Headmaster had insisted he be present at Harry's second lesson with Emmeline, and didn't seem surprised at Harry's progress and quick grasp of Occlumency. There weren't too many things Harry, or anybody else, for that matter, could do to surprise Dumbledore; he'd seen too much in his long life.

On Thursday evening, Harry was preparing to go and stay with the Weasleys for the night. Sirius and Remus had asked Molly and Arthur if they could take Harry while they were on Department of Mysteries' guard duty. The redheads were more than happy to oblige, saying Harry was welcome anytime.

"What time is Molly expecting Harry?" Remus asked, slightly short of breath as he ran into Sirius' bedroom.

Sirius was lying on his bed, quietly reading a book. Normally, a scene such as this would make Remus quite suspicious, but he didn't seem to care at the moment. "I don't know," Sirius muttered, turning a page in his book without looking up.

"Well, Kingsley just Flooed. Elphias Doge's been sick; he can't finish duty tonight, which means we have to go in early."

"Bloody hell!" Sirius whined, closing his book. "I just got home! I don't want to go back so soon!"

"That's perfectly fine with me, Padfoot," Remus said. "I'll go by myself to the Ministry tonight. And when six Death Eaters show up, kill me, and get the prophecy, the guilt can fall on you."

"First of all, stop being so damn dramatic," Sirius said. "And why is Doge by himself?"

"Don't know." Remus shrugged. "It's daytime, the Ministry is packed... I guess Dumbledore didn't feel the need to take people off their day jobs."

"What time do we need to be there, then?" Sirius asked, changing out of his Ministry robes and into Muggle clothing.

"Soon as possible. Kingsley made an excuse to get Tonks off work early, so she's covering for Elphias," Remus answered.

Sirius nodded. "I'll go make sure Harry is ready, then."

* * *

Instead of packing an overnight bag as he was supposed to be doing, Harry had decided to test out his Animagus form again. His small wings carried him from one side of the room to the other in less than a second. _This is better than my Firebolt_, Harry thought happily. He landed on top of a large wardrobe in his room to catch his breath.

In less than a year and a half, Harry had succeeded in his transformation. He'd listened raptly when Sirius would explain all the problems he and James had experienced while they were becoming Animagi. He'd known in the beginning what could go wrong, and luckily, had avoided many of the things that had happened with the Marauders.

Harry stepped to the edge of the wardrobe and prepared to dive off. He stopped, however, when the door to his bedroom opened. Harry's small green eyes widened as Sirius looked around the room perplexed, and made to leave again. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, causing his small, perfectly round body to heave. The relief was short-lived; the bedroom door had burst open again.

Sirius' mouth was open slightly as he slowly walked to the wardrobe, his eyes never leaving Harry. Harry gulped noiselessly and backed into the wall behind the wardrobe, hoping to hide himself from his godfather. He thought he'd succeeded until he heard the scraping of a chair across the bedroom floor and saw Sirius cautiously peek over the edge of the wardrobe.

"Harry?" Sirius said doubtfully. Harry slowly made his way towards Sirius. "No way," he muttered in amazement. "How did you... wow..."

Gently, Sirius reached out and picked the small bird up from the wardrobe. He stepped off the chair and immediately had to sit. "Well, that figures, I suppose," he said, commenting on Harry's Animagus form. "See you couldn't get rid of that scar, but it actually looks kind of cool."

"Sirius!" Remus called, entering the room.

Sirius stood and hid Harry behind his back. "Yes, Remus?" he asked innocently.

Remus cocked an eyebrow in suspicion. "Where's Harry?" he asked slowly, looking around the room and back to Sirius.

"Er, don't know. He might be downstairs already," Sirius replied casually.

"Yeah? What's that behind your back?" Remus asked, moving closer.

"Nothing," Sirius said quickly, backing away from his friend, careful not to hurt his godson.

"Sirius, we don't have time for whatever prank you're trying to pull. We've got to find Harry and get him to the Weasleys," Remus said in exasperation. Before Sirius could do anything, Remus suddenly called, "_Accio_!"

Harry zoomed from Sirius' hand with a squeak, trying to fight the spell and get away from Remus. Remus, however, had always had sharp reflexes; he caught Harry easily.

"Not bad, Moony," Sirius commented. "You'd have made a decent Seeker."

Remus ignored his friend and examined the wriggling bird in his hand while Sirius looked on with that bloody innocent expression that had never fooled anyone with any sense. To the werewolf, the tiny golden bird looked like a Snidget, but with deliberate mistakes. Instead of the ruby red eyes a Snidget normally had, this one had emerald green ones. Not to mention the black feather in the shape of a lightning bolt on its back.

Remus sighed and sat the bird on Harry's bed. "Might as well transform back; you're already caught," he said calmly.

Hesitantly, the bird began to change and grow into a guilty-faced Harry. "Hey, Remus," he said with a little wave.

"Hello, Harry," Remus said flatly. He looked over at Sirius. The Head Auror was glancing around the room obliviously, apparently waiting to catch the blame. "Do you have your bag packed?" he asked Harry.

"Um, no..." Harry said slowly, looking at Remus as if he was mad.

"Well, please hurry. Molly is expecting you for dinner, and Sirius and I have to leave soon," Remus said before walking out of the room.

Sirius and Harry watched Remus' retreating back with increasing confusion. "What was that?" Sirius whispered, semi-horrified.

"I don't know," Harry said uneasily. "Is he sick?"

"Don't think so," Sirius replied. "Get ready to go. I'll talk to him."

* * *

Remus walked down to the kitchen with a large smile forming on his face. He hadn't wanted to say anything to Harry—he wanted the teenager to think he was in trouble (another tactic he'd learned from McGonagall)—but he was actually quite proud of his surrogate godson. It had taken James and Sirius the better part of three years to do what Harry had done in half that time. Remus had known for certain that Harry would not heed their warnings about stopping the Animagus transformations—what Marauder would? Especially when the warning had come from fellow Marauders.

While it would have been better for Harry to listen to what Sirius and Remus had told him (Remus would be having a talk with the teen tomorrow), Remus couldn't bring himself to be angry with Harry. It took a lot of intelligence and magical capability to become an Animagus, and it filled Remus with a sense of swelling pride to know he and Sirius had obviously done something right in raising Lily and James' son.

"Er, Remus?" Sirius said hesitantly, approaching his grinning friend.

"Yes?" Remus said casually.

"You're scaring us," Sirius said bluntly. "What's wrong with you?"

Remus chuckled. "Nothing's wrong with me, Sirius. We've raised another illegal Animagus. Why would anything be wrong?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You're not angry?"

Remus shrugged. "Not really, no."

"Okay, who the hell are you and what have you done with Remus?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Padfoot. Can't I, for once, just be happy without everyone wondering about my sanity?"

"No," Sirius replied.

* * *

Just past midnight in the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, all was quiet and peaceful. The home of Molly and Arthur Weasley, dubbed the Burrow, was, as all homes should be at this hour, dark and calm. Molly and Arthur were sleeping soundly while they believed their children to be doing the same in their own rooms.

In reality, however, four of the five Weasley children who resided in the house were gathered in Ron's room around Harry and his overnight bag. By light from a flashlight Fred held up, Harry pulled out a silver liquid-looking cloak. Ginny gasped quietly at the sight of it as Fred dropped the flashlight. He and George tentatively reached out their hands to touch it, identical looks of awe on their faces.

"Where'd you get it?" Fred asked softly, obviously highly impressed.

"It was my dad's," Harry said proudly.

"Brilliant," George whispered.

"Are we just going to sit here all night or are we going to play Quidditch?" Ron asked with a grin.

"There's no way we can all fit under that," Ginny said skeptically. "If Mum finds even one of us, we're all in a world of hurt."

"Ah, right," Ron responded, still grinning and looking at Harry. "Looks like we've got a problem there, mate."

Harry smirked. "You lot take the cloak and get our broomsticks. I'll meet you in the orchard."

"And how do you plan on getting out there without anybody catching you? Mum can here us sneeze in a dead sleep," Ginny said doubtfully.

"Leave that to me," Harry said mysteriously. Three sets of raised eyebrows met him. "Go on, I'll see you out there," he said, handing George the Invisibility Cloak.

George covered himself and his siblings with the cloak, but not before Ron could send Harry one last wink. Once the Weasleys were out of the room, Harry went to Ron's bedroom window, opened it, and transformed into the Snidget. He soared through the window in the direction of the orchard that he and the Weasleys used for Quidditch practice.

The night air was cool as it moved through Harry's feathers. He breathed in deeply, filling his small lungs with a fresh, calming breeze. In no time at all he landed in the center of a clearing, surrounded on all sides by large trees, and waited patiently for his friends to appear.

"How did you get here so fast?" George demanded when he pulled the cloak from his head and tossed it to Harry.

"Yeah, did you learn to Apparate?" Fred asked.

"Marauder's secret." Harry smirked again.

Ron laughed at the bewildered looks on his brothers' and sister's faces and handed Harry his Firebolt. Shaking their heads at one another, Fred, George, and Ginny mounted their own brooms and set off into the sky. They lit lanterns they'd hidden in the trees, giving them plenty of light to play by.

Using a charmed Muggle golf ball Mr. Weasley had given them as a Snitch, and an old soccer ball they'd found in the forest as a Quaffle, they played long into the night. Ron was, as always, Keeper, Ginny and Fred were opposing Chasers, Harry played Seeker, and George was a human-Bludger.

By two-thirty, the five Gryffindors deemed themselves too tired to carry on. Harry caught the charmed golf ball one last time and flew to meet his friends on the ground. Harry took the Invisibility Cloak from Ginny and led the way back to the Burrow.

Laughing and joking with the Weasleys, Harry turned a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. He'd nearly run into a hooded figure. For a moment he thought it was Mr. or Mrs. Weasley, but then he noticed the white mask covering the figure's face.

"Harry, what's the hold—" Fred broke off as he stepped behind Harry.

"Hello, children," the figure said softly. "Have a nice game?"

* * *

Sirius sat silently beside Remus against a wall just outside the entrance to the Department of Mysteries. The night had been downright boring; at the moment Sirius was hoping for a Death Eater to show up just to provide some momentary excitement. He'd finished three different crosswords, played Hangman with Remus, and as a last resort, finished a report on Death Eaters for Minister Bones. His eyelids were beginning to close as he counted the number of cracks in the ceiling above him. At eighty-seven, he felt Remus start next to him.

"Remus?" he said. Both were covered with individual Invisibility Cloaks belonging to Mad-Eye, making it quite difficult for the two wizards to see what the other was doing.

"What?" Remus muttered sleepily.

Sirius chuckled. "Just making sure you're awake."

"I'm awake." Remus yawned loudly. "What time is it?"

"Three. We've still got four hours."

"Bloody hell."

Sirius grinned and shook his head. "I'm having a bad influence on you, I think," he said to his friend.

"You've always had a bad influence on me, Sirius. That's how I received two hundred detentions between second and seventh year."

The humor faded quickly as the two heard hurried footsteps coming down the dark, seemingly deserted corridor. Immediately, Sirius stood and withdrew his wand from his jeans, staying under the cloak. He could feel, rather than hear, Remus do the same next to him.

After a few tense seconds, Tonks ran around a corner, nearly tripping over her own feet, and looking around wildly.

"Sirius?" she whispered uncertainly.

"Tonks?" Sirius removed the hood of the cloak from his head. "What're you doing here? Isn't it past your bedtime?" he teased.

"There's been another attack," Tonks patted, intentionally ignoring her cousin's dig at her age. "At Arthur Weasley's place."

"What?" Remus nearly shouted, taking off his own cloak.

"Yeah. We got a call from the Diggorys. Amos said he thought he saw something going on down there."

Not wasting a moment—not wondering how Amos Diggory could see something going on a miles away from his home—Sirius dropped the Invisibility Cloak and sprinted down the corridor, Remus and Tonks right on his heels, towards Auror Headquarters.

"We can't Apparate," Remus breathed.

"The hell we can't," Sirius growled, muttering the counter jinx for the Apparition charm around the building. A second later, he disappeared with a furious _pop_.

Remus waited a moment for Tonks to catch up, instructed her to contact Dumbledore, and Apparated to the Burrow.

* * *

"Not bad, Harry," George said. Harry had just pulled off a stunning spell on the Death Eater who had ambushed them.

"What should we do with him?" Ginny asked quietly, trembling slightly. Fred gave her a brief one-armed hug.

"Leave him here." Harry grunted as he and George rolled the Death Eater into the trees. "Everyone got their wands?"

"Mine's in my room," Ron said.

"Dammit, Ron," Fred muttered. "Come on. Where there's one, there'll be ten more."

Harry threw Ron the Invisibility Cloak and told him to run to the nearest neighbor, the Lovegoods, to use their fireplace. Stealthily, Harry, Fred, George, and Ginny crept through the trees and hid behind the Weasleys' garage as they spotted three Death Eaters moving towards the front door.

"Oh no," Ginny gasped, pointing to an upstairs window. The other three looked up and saw what was unmistakably wandfire coming from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom.

"They'll be okay," Harry assured Ginny quietly. He took aim, motioning for the others to do the same. "Any spell you can think of on three... One... Two... THREE! _DIFFINDO_!"

Four jets of light shot from their wands towards the Death Eaters. Caught by surprise, two of them were hit—one with Harry's curse, sending him flying backwards, the other by Fred's boil hex. The remaining Death Eater was hit by a stunner coming from behind him. Harry slowly moved to peek around the side of the garage and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sirius running towards them.

"All right?" Sirius called.

"Yeah!" Harry called back. "There're more inside!"

Nodding, Sirius ran to the front door. He blasted it off its hinges and disappeared in the house.

"Harry!" they heard Remus shout. "Are you okay? Where's Ron?"

"Ran to get help!" George said.

"Sirius?"

"Inside," Harry said before stunning the boil-faced Death Eater.

* * *

Remus left the teenagers to join Sirius. He took the stairs two at a time as he headed to Molly and Arthur's room. He crossed the threshold to see Sirius checking the pulses of two unmasked, unfamiliar Death Eaters. Arthur was nursing a bleeding shoulder while Molly huddled close to a white-faced, shaking Percy.

"The other kids are outside," Remus said quietly to Molly, moving to check Arthur's arm for any sort of infection.

"How did they get out there?" Molly asked shrilly.

"Good question," Sirius said flatly. "They're stunned," he said, gesturing to the Death Eaters. "We'll take them and the other three to the Ministry. Molly, Arthur, Percy, pack a few bags; you can stay with us at Number Twelve."

* * *

Half an hour later, the Weasleys' front yard was full of Aurors investigating the scene. Remus had just finished talking with Dumbledore via the fireplace and entered the kitchen to find Harry and his friends being questioned thoroughly about what had happened. Ron had returned with Mr. Lovegood not long after Remus had run inside the house.

"You five did very well tonight," Sirius said to the teenagers as they sat at the table with hot tea in front of them. "You shouldn't have been out, but I am quite proud of all of you." Remus and Arthur nodded in agreement.

"Why were they here?" Ginny asked quietly.

Sirius could think of many reasons instantly: Harry was at the Burrow, Molly and Arthur were in the Order of the Phoenix, Arthur was a Ministry employee, the Weasleys were hated by most Voldemort supporters, possibly Voldemort himself. The list went on and on. Without exchanging a glance with Remus and Arthur, Sirius answered Ginny's question as best he could. "I really don't know. But we will find out," he said. "Right now, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that you lot are safe."

Before leaving the Burrow, Sirius had Harry lead him and Remus to the spot where Harry and George had left the last Death Eater. The Weasleys had already left by portkey to Order Headquarters.

"Where'd you learn how to stun?" Remus asked, examining the unconscious Death Eater.

Harry looked at his godfather who quickly looked away, whistling innocently.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Been teaching him Defense techniques again, Padfoot?"

"And get him in trouble with the Ministry? Never! I'm disappointed that you'd ever think so lowly of me, Moony!" Sirius said in mock-outrage.

"You're a moron, Sirius," Remus commented casually. Harry grinned. "And you, Harry, I am quite shocked with you. First you become an Animagus right under our noses—how we never realized before tonight is beyond me—and then you become a dueling wizard. Impressive."

"But I meant what I said," Sirius said, losing his humor. "You five shouldn't have been out tonight. Midnight Quidditch isn't worth being killed over. Of course, if you would have been in the house, it could have turned out worse, but that isn't the point."

"Let's get back," Remus said quietly, not looking at the other two, remembering the last time he'd played Midnight Quidditch during a war... "I'm sure we're all exhausted." Sirius looked at him apologetically, but he missed it.

Together, the three of them walked back to the Burrow, the stunned Death Eater on a stretcher directed by Sirius.

Kingsley had been heading the investigation. Sirius' second-in-command met them half way across the garden with a Portkey to take them back to Number Twelve.

Before leaving, Kingsley informed them that all of the underage wizarding charges would be dropped on the grounds of self-defense. Harry, of course, hadn't even thought about that aspect until Kingsley mentioned it, but thanked him and touched the old leather boot Sirius held out, taking him, his godfather, and Remus back to Grimmauld Place.


	26. Twenty Six

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Six_

Upon Sirius and Remus' insistence, Molly and Arthur moved their family into Number Twelve in the coming weeks. The Burrow had been deemed unsafe by Aurors—namely Sirius—and the Weasleys had told their neighbors that they would be going on an extended vacation to Egypt.

Now that there were seven more bodies occupying the large house, Sirius didn't seem to mind it so much, especially in the evenings around dinnertime when Molly, grateful to Sirius and Remus for allowing them to stay in their "home", made mouth-watering meals whose fumes could be smelled all the way in the attic. Sirius knew this to be fact—he'd tested the theory one night while searching for Kreacher.

"He's acting oddly," the Head Auror muttered to Remus as they cleaned the dishes from dinner one night. "He's not even searching for Mother's old things anymore."

"I told you that a month ago, Sirius," Remus said back. "You need to order him to stay downstairs from now on. He's got an obsession with the attic and it can't be for the décor."

Later that night, Harry and Ron bolted down the stairs, setting off Mrs. Black's portrait for the third time that day, claiming to have just seen Kreacher try to climb out a second story window. "You shouldn't have stopped him," Sirius said. "Of course, I couldn't be lucky enough to have him break his neck. The most that would happen is that some Muggle passing by would see him and report an alien or something."

Molly began to berate him about how he should be kinder to Kreacher. "If you'd only show him a bit of kindness, he'd come around." She changed her mind moments later when the house-elf in question called her a lumpy ball of fiery filth. Sirius locked Kreacher in his cupboard for that one.

If Remus believed living with a Marauder and Marauder's offspring was a reason to be on your toes, he was sorely mistaken. Two days after the Weasleys had moved in, Remus sat down to breakfast to find spiders in his bowl of cornflakes.

"Sorry 'bout that, Remus, thought that was Ron's spot," Georges said, swapping the spider-infested bowl with a different one. The elder wizard settled for toast and coffee that morning.

Along with pranks, there had been an increase of suspicious glances from Harry on many nights after Order meetings. The adults surmised that the children had heard more than they should have. Remus began casting Imperturbable Charms on the kitchen door during meetings.

Percy was very seldom seen at Headquarters. He'd been made junior assistant to the Department of Magical Cooperation. On his nights off, he spent the majority of his time with his girlfriend, Penelope, and his co-workers. Percy had not been invited to join the Order of the Phoenix for reasons, as Dumbledore claimed, that he was so laden down with Ministry work as it was. Sirius complained, loudly at that, that he too was busy at work, but _he_ still did everything he could for the Order. Remus had casually slapped him in the back of his head for that comment.

The number of attacks from the dark side had increased significantly, as had, as a result, more unfortunate deaths—Muggle and wizard alike. Sirius and his Aurors had been working furious amounts of overtime to catch the Death Eaters responsible, but weren't making much headway in their cases. They had, however, captured those present at the Burrow the night of the attack. The six Death Eaters were currently being held in holding cells at the Ministry of Magic under constant surveillance. Azkaban Prison was undergoing much needed refurbishments, and until the time came that it was ready to hold prisoners once again, the DMLE holding cells would have to do.

Having a Metamorphmagus in the Order held its benefits. Remus had been relieved of the majority of his undercover duties, handing the torch over to Tonks with her many _creative _disguises. Concealed as an old man with long, grey, greasy hair and a hooked nose, Tonks overheard two careless Death Eaters discussing a meeting in a secret location. Eager to hear more, but careful not to give herself away, Tonks leaned towards them on her barstool. The bartender, however, probably drunk himself, had spilt a large mug of firewhiskey on the undercover Auror. When she'd turned away from yelling at the clumsy bartender, the Death Eaters in question had already gone.

Furious, Tonks had returned to Headquarters and had endured two hours of Sirius laughing at her. She'd forgotten to exchange her disguise for her normal spiky, purple locks. Sirius told her she'd looked like an elderly Snape, and didn't bother to keep his voice down in front of the real Snape. Needless to say, Tonks avoided the Potions Master with more success than she normally did for coming weeks.

Speaking of Snape, which Sirius rarely did, purely for reasons of his remaining sanity, an interesting question had arisen after an Order meeting to Dumbledore from the Head Auror himself: If Snape was their acting spy, then why did Tonks need to go undercover? As it was, after the Hogwarts invasion, Lord Voldemort had become suspicious of Snape's loyalty. It had never been presented, to either side, where Snape had been that night. The Dark Lord now informed the spy of minimal events, and only at the very last minute, leaving him with no information, or time, to give the Order.

Regardless of the ever-present war, July brought along with it, as always, Harry's birthday. In the days before, following the full moon, the day had been planned out perfectly. Molly would prepare a large breakfast; Sirius, Remus, and Arthur would take the boys to a Chudley Cannons training game—Ginny would remain behind to prepare for the evening; afterwards, they would return to Number Twelve for a large party with many members of the Order and Hermione.

As with everything in an unpredictable war, however, things didn't go according to plan...

Remus led a sunburned and exhausted but cheerful group of wizards into the Order's headquarters. Ron and Harry were telling the bunch, for the hundredth time that afternoon, that this would be the year the Chudley Cannons finally succeeded. Fred and George said, and Sirius agreed with them wholeheartedly, that the only thing the Cannons could succeed in doing would be to knock themselves out with their own Beaters' bats—and that was only if their aim had improved.

Remus smiled as he led the group into the basement kitchen. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid arrived for the occasion along with Mad-Eye, Emmeline, Tonks and her parents, and Kingsley. A large cake sat in the middle of the large kitchen table surrounded by a considerable amount of sweets and finger foods. A banner had been hung along the length of the kitchen wishing Harry a happy fifteenth birthday.

"SURPRISE!" everyone shouted as Sirius helped Harry down the steep stairs. The elder wizard had covered the birthday boy's eyes until they reached the bottom step.

Harry smiled widely as he laid eyes on the party. Everybody made their way forward to greet him. Sirius had to rush forward to rescue Harry as Hagrid hugged him a bit too enthusiastically—he'd had too much mulled mead before the party. Sirius, Fred, and George led the party in a loud, semi-rude chorus of "Happy Birthday." Luckily for them, Molly was too busy fawning over Harry to hear them.

Remus sat in a corner with a large slice of the triple chocolate cake and did what always loved to do in the company of a large group: Observe. He had never been able to overcome the feeling of bewilderment when he thought about how drastically his life had changed over the years. It seemed like one second he was alone and depressed, and the next he was surrounded by his family and new friends.

Even though Sirius sometimes got on his last nerve, Remus couldn't imagine what life would have been like without his best friend. Though the Auror was reluctant to admit it, Sirius had grown up since his release from Azkaban. The change was only slight at the best of times, but if one were to really search, it could be seen.

Harry laughed as Fred smashed cake into Ron's face. Remus smiled. Lily and James' son had grown up beautifully. He had traits of both his parents: James' sense of a good prank, and Lily's intelligence and large heart. There would only be two more of these parties before Harry would graduate Hogwarts and become a fully qualified wizard. It seemed only yesterday Remus was teaching the boy how to write 'Snitch', and now he was earning nearly weekly detentions and preparing for his O.W.L.s.

And then, of course, there was the inevitable final battle with Voldemort. There could be no way to predict when it would happen, or on whose terms, but Remus was determined to put that moment off as far as possible.

_If he lives that long..._ said a sinister voice in the back of Remus' head. It was the same voice Remus had heard after Harry's kidnapping those years ago. Unlike that occurrence, Remus couldn't refute the facts, no matter how terrible they were: there was a chance Harry would not live to see his eighteenth birthday. Not even Albus Dumbledore, arguably the greatest wizard to ever live, could ensure Harry's chances at a long life.

"All right there, Remus?" asked a voice.

Remus looked away from where he'd been watching Harry unwrap a box of Zonko's merchandise from Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. "Ah, hello, Emmeline." He smiled at the witch.

"Mind if I sit?" she said.

"No, not at all," Remus said, standing and pulling a chair from the table for her. "Enjoying yourself?"

"I am," Emmeline said, sitting beside Remus. "I have to say, in all my years at the Ministry, I've never met a more interesting bunch of people than this," she said, chuckling and gesturing around the room.

Remus laughed. "Interesting is not the word I would use to describe Sirius and Harry. I'd go with mischievous little buggers, myself."

"But life wouldn't be the same without them, would it?"

"I was just thinking along those same lines, actually," Remus said with a smile. He began to ask Emmeline if she had any family, but an owl flew through the fireplace and landed on Sirius' knee.

Remus could see Harry's fallen face as Sirius sighed heavily and turned to whisper something to Kingsley. Kingsley nodded, stood, pulled Tonks away from Molly and McGonagall, and told the witch, presumably, the same thing Sirius had told him.

Once Sirius had finished apologizing profusely to Harry, he made his way towards Remus and Emmeline. "There's been another attack. We've got to go. I'll owl you later and let you know how late I'll be," Sirius said.

"All right, be careful," Remus said.

"Have fun." Sirius smirked and winked at the pair and led his Aurors out of the kitchen.

The party atmosphere had diminished in the light of yet another attack. Not even Fred and George could find anyway to amuse the guests anymore.

Before leaving, Andromeda and Ted asked Remus to have their daughter owl them the moment she had a moment. Remus promised profusely that he would and said good night to the couple.

Molly had sent the underage witches and wizards upstairs to give the adults some privacy to converse. Remus reentered the kitchen, cast a silencing charm on the room, and reclaimed his spot next to Emmeline in front of the fire. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling quite annoyingly and his lips twitched as he watched the pair.

Instead of discussing Order business, however, Dumbledore took the time to examine the pranking supplies Harry had been given. "I do believe I see a few items in this box that Mr. Filch has yet to place on his banned list," the Headmaster said mischievously.

"Yes, well, you can be sure that Harry will see that they are on the list for next year, Albus," Remus joked.

"I would be disappointed if he didn't, Remus," Dumbledore admitted.

Molly and Emmeline began to clean up the kitchen while Arthur poured the group a goblet of wine each. Moody, as always, declined; he had his hip flask with him.

"You know, I've noticed something with Potter," Mad-Eye said to the group. "And I mean besides the fact that he's spent way too much time with Black. That boy'll make one hell of an Auror when the time comes. Got that from his father, I think."

"You recruited Sirius and James, didn't you, Alastor?" McGonagall asked, sitting beside Hagrid.

"I did," Mad-Eye grunted. "Worked with Harold Potter when I started in the Ministry. That man was the best there ever was until his dying day."

Remus smiled. "I remember one summer when Mr. Potter took James, Sirius, and myself to work with him. None of us had ever seen Aurors in action until that day, and that was one of the few times I can recall that James and Sirius actually stayed out of trouble—they were too interested with what was going on around them," he said.

"I think out of the three of you," McGonagall said, accepting a plate of biscuits from Molly, "Sirius Black is the one I am most proud of. Potter was born into a well-respected, loving family, and never had many home problems that I can recall. You, Remus, well, we all know about you. But you've overcome all that. Black, though," the Transfiguration mistress said with a shake of her head, "his family tried relentlessly to steer him into the 'right' direction, but look at him now. Head Auror. Never thought I'd see the day."

Again, Remus smiled. "And you will never say that to his face, will you, Minerva?"

"Certainly not," McGonagall scoffed.

Laughing loudly, the group failed to hear the kitchen door open and close. Nor did they notice Severus Snape enter, looking as if he'd just run from Hogwarts to Number Twelve.

"Headmaster," he panted, drawing the attention to him immediately.

"Severus, my dear boy, what is it?" Dumbledore asked hastily.

"The attack the Aurors have been sent to was a setup," Snape said, catching his breath. "The Dark Lord wanted them out of the Ministry so that he could send a group of Death Eaters into the Department of Mysteries."

"Mundungus and Dedalus Diggle are standing guard tonight," Molly said, dropping a dishcloth to the floor.

At that very moment, a fiery flash of light burst from the fireplace. Remus jumped aside, pulling Emmeline out of the way, as a picture began to form before their eyes. Dumbledore had charmed the fireplace to alert them of any unfriendly wandfire that occurred within the Ministry of Magic building, particularly the ninth floor.

Six Death Eaters were fighting their way past Dedalus and Dung—who were putting up a pretty fair fight—to get to the department door. "We will leave immediately," Dumbledore said swiftly, all former humor forgotten, still watching the fight. "Remus, Arthur, Alastor, and Emmeline will come with me. Minerva, Molly, and Hagrid, I ask you to remain behind for the time being. Severus, go wherever it is you are safest."

The group nodded at their instructions. Dumbledore led those who would be going to the Ministry out of the kitchen and out of the house. Before closing the door, Remus caught a quick glance of Harry and Ron crouching in the shadows of the second landing.

Night had fallen around them, giving the Order members plenty of cover to Apparate.

* * *

Sirius was crouched between Tonks and Dawlish behind a bunch of bushes in the backyard of a Muggle home. He and a team of ten Aurors—those who had been present at the Ministry—had been waiting there for twenty minutes for any sign of Death Eaters activity. So far, all they'd seen was two Muggle children chasing each other through a kitchen.

"Are you sure we've got the right place?" Sirius whispered to Dawlish.

"Yeah, positive. This is what was reported," Dawlish responded.

Sirius sighed. "All right, stay here," he said to his team. In the next moment, he'd transformed into Padfoot and pushed his way through the bushes. Most of his team gasped.

"Did you know he could do that?" he heard Dawlish's shocked voice ask Kingsley.

Kingsley's laugh, full of bass, echoed through the yard.

Sirius, meanwhile, pretending to be a stray, sniffed around the yard, his ears wide open for the slightest sound. After being shooed away from a trash bin by an old woman with a strong scent of brandy on her, Sirius returned to his team.

"There's nothing here." He sighed. "We've been setup." Various curses spread throughout the team, causing Sirius to smirk. "I really have trained you lot well, haven't I? C'mon, back to the Ministry, then."

* * *

Harry sighed heavily and lay back on his bed. Hermione and Ginny were sitting cross-legged beside him playing Gobstones.

"Ah, come on, Harry," George said, nudging his shoulder. "It's your birthday, cheer up a bit!"

"This happened last year, too," Harry said dejectedly.

"Harry, we're in a war," Hermione said reasonably. "Sirius is the Head Auror for the Ministry of Magic—"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Harry muttered, staring at the ceiling.

"—and he has an important job to do. It's not going to stop just for your birthday, you know," she finished, slapping Harry's arm.

"Yeah, but..." Harry began. "I don't know. I sound like a spoiled little kid, don't I?"

Hermione and Ginny started to deny any such thing, but were drowned out as Fred, George, and Ron chimed in, "A bit."

"Now Remus is gone with Dumbledore, and they still won't tell me what's going on with all these secret meetings," Harry muttered.

"Oh, please, Harry," Fred said with a smirk. "You still haven't figured that out? Bloody hell, man! You live here! George and I figured it out ages ago."

"And?" Harry and Ron asked eagerly. Ginny and Hermione momentarily stopped their game to listen.

"Well, we're pretty sure Dumbledore's leading some sort of resistance against You-Know-Who. And we overheard something one night when we'd, er, gone to get a drink," George said unconvincingly. "Something that had to do with you, Harry. Something about guard duty. But Mad-Eye caught us before we could hear anymore."

Harry could think of only one thing that had to do with him that anyone would want to guard, and that was the prophecy. Sirius had told him many times that the prophecy was the safest in the Department of Mysteries, but how safe could it be if people had to be guarding it?

* * *

Silently but swiftly, Dumbledore led Remus, Emmeline, Mad-Eye, and Arthur down the corridors of the ninth floor in the Department of Mysteries. They passed right by the hall that led to the courtroom in which Wormtail's trail had been held, and towards the shouts and curses in front of them.

Dung had been the source of all the commotion as he tried to revive a stunned Dedalus.

"Mundungus!" Dumbledore called. "Where are they?"

"Gone!" Dung called back, straightening himself up. "Apparated away when they couldn't get through the door."

Remus succeeded in reviving Dedalus while Dumbledore attempted to calm a nearly hysterical Dung. He kept going on about seeing something impossible, something they'd never believe. The problem was that they couldn't get Dung to tell them what he'd seen.

"It was like nothin' never happened to him," Dung claimed in a loud whisper. "He was 'oldin' his wand perfectly straight, aiming curses. 'Course he looked dead as could be..."

"Dung, if you don't tell us what you're on about, _you're_ gonna look dead as can be," Mad-Eye threatened.

"That friend of yours," Dung said, pointing a shaky finger at Remus.

"Sirius?" Remus said with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no! That other one. What's his name? Fat kid, Sirius used to tease him all the time in school," Dung said.

Remus raised his other eyebrow. "Peter?" he said, wondering if Dung had too much firewhiskey before coming to the Ministry.

"Yeah! He got the Kiss, din't he? He was walkin' round here just fine! Stunned Dedalus, he did!"

Remus found himself stumbling backwards into a wall and sliding down to the floor.

"You sure it was him, Dung?" Moody growled.

"Positive!" Dung insisted. "I'd swear on me mum's life on it, I would!"

"Your mum's dead," Moody countered.

"All of you, return to headquarters immediately," Dumbledore said over Moody and Dung. "Remus, let's go back, shall we?"

Remus looked up into the headmaster's eyes and felt himself nod. "Yeah, okay," he whispered, slightly hoarse. With Arthur and Emmeline's help, Remus got off the floor and followed the group out of the Ministry of Magic.


	27. Twenty Seven

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Seven_

_On a dark, gloomy, stormy afternoon, Remus and Sirius Apparated from the Burrow—where they'd left Harry—to the coast of a thundering sea. They were met by Albus Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and the newly appointed Minister for Magic, Amelia Bones. Without exchanging more than a nod of a greeting, the six climbed into the magically enlarged wooden Muggle boat. With a tap of a wand (by whom, neither Sirius nor Remus was sure), they began to cross the sea. _

_As they neared their destination, Sirius' breath became shallow and raspy, and he began to tremble slightly. Remus looked at his best friend questioningly, but realized immediately what was happening: Sirius had only been out of Azkaban a few months, and the dementors continued to affect him. _

"_Sure you want to do this?" Remus muttered to Sirius so the others wouldn't hear, bending low on the pretense of tying his shoelaces._

"_Yes," Sirius said firmly. The dementors wouldn't stop him from doing this. Sirius had never been so sure of anything in his life. He would see this. He _had_ to see this. He owed it to Lily and James to see this. "You have chocolate?"_

"_Of course," Remus replied. He reached into his robes and pulled out a couple of chocolate frogs and handed them to Sirius._

_Sirius muttered his thanks and began to open the chocolate. Out of habit, he glanced at the card he'd gotten. He felt his face muscles form a weak grin at the sight of Dumbledore's twinkling eyes. Sticking the card inside his cloak, Sirius began to munch on the frog. He felt a slight tingle of warmth move throughout his body as he swallowed the chocolate, knowing it wouldn't be enough to hold him over..._

_Before he was prepared, (could he _ever_ be prepared for something like this?) the boat lightly hit the bank. Dumbledore stepped out of the boat first and onto the rocks, lending a hand to Minister Bones. Sighing and still shaking, Sirius stepped out next, followed by Remus, Moody, and Kingsley._

_Bones greeted the wizard guard at the entrance of Azkaban Prison and led the group inside. The icy feeling of the prison hit Sirius like a tidal wave, causing him to waver a bit as he walked. Remus grasped his upper arm tightly, for his support as well as Sirius', and continued down the dark, stone corridors._

"_In here." The wizard guard gestured uneasily. He knew what was going to happen in there... "They'll begin soon." _

_Bones nodded her thanks as she passed through the door the guard held open for them._

_The room they'd gone into was a small one with six wooden chairs in a row in front of a wall with a large open rectangle in the center. To Remus, it looked like one of those Muggle movie theaters—all they were missing was the popcorn. He, however, would not have paid to see this show. Remus, like Sirius, felt he had to see this. It wouldn't be easy to witness, but Remus would do his best to see it through... It was finally time to see some justice—no matter how cruel it may be._

_Sirius stood next to Remus and looked through the rectangle, shivering uncontrollably. There was a metal chair facing the observation room, and torches in the corners of the room. Soon it would all end. Soon he, Remus, and Harry could get on with their lives; put the last five years behind them, and finally be a family. Soon..._

_Sooner than expected, a door opened in the small room opposite the observers. The torches had gone out, though there was no breeze. A freezing cold penetrated their bones. Sirius felt himself go dizzy as four dementors entered, flanking a petrified Peter Pettigrew. He looked around the room wildly, finally spotting the group before him. The dementors placed Wormtail—_He doesn't deserve that name..._ Sirius thought faintly—in the metal chair. Instantly, chains magically appeared, binding the prisoner's arms, giving him no chance at escape. _

"_PLEASE! Please, anything but this!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "Please, Sirius! Remus, don't let them do this!" _

_Sirius and Remus stared stonily back at their former friend._

"_Peter Pettigrew!" Minister Bones shouted over Pettigrew's cries. "You have been sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss by the highest court in our world. The heinous crimes you have committed against our world, and your own friends, are among the worst we have seen in years." Remus was sure Bones' speech was not a part of the usual execution of the Dementor's Kiss, but he made no move to stop her. "I can think of no other person in this prison who is more deserving of this punishment." Bones stepped back from the window and sat at Dumbledore's side, visibly shaking._

"_Front and center, then, eh?" Sirius muttered grimly. He and Remus hadn't left the threshold of the door yet. Remus nodded stiffly and took a seat next to Kingsley, Sirius right beside him._

"_When you're ready," Bones said to the dementors. Her voice shook._

_Without acknowledgement of the order, the dementors moved in—one behind the chair, its dead hands on Pettigrew's shoulders. Two placed themselves on either side of Pettigrew, the last directly in front. Remus' breathing was coming to him in short, raspy spurts as Pettigrew began to scream even louder. Sirius, it seemed, had stopped breathing altogether. He was ghostly pale and wide-eyed._

_The dementor in front of Pettigrew slowly removed its hood, revealing the back of a grayish, decaying head. It moved closer to its victim, bending to eye level. There was a muffled squeal as the dementor's jaw made contact with Pettigrew. The deathly silence that followed was enough to make anybody want to run, but not one of the observers could feel their legs._

_Suddenly, a raspy sucking noise coming from the dementor filled their ears. Its cloaked body began to heave as it did its job, grasping Pettigrew's shoulders, pulling him out of the chair, the chains falling to the floor. Pettigrew began to convulse wildly, his wide eyes rolling into the back of his head, showing nothing but the whites._

_There was a slight whimper from Remus' left. He turned to see Sirius, a look of pure terror on his face. _That could have been him..._ Remus thought vaguely before turning back to the scene before him. _

_Finally, it seemed to be over. The dementor let Pettigrew fall back into the middle chair, moved its bony hands to replace its hood, and motioned for the other three dementors to follow it out of the room. As the door snapped shut, the torches burned back to life, filling the room with much needed warmth._

_Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Nobody breathed. There were not many in the world who could claim to have seen a Dementor's Kiss, and if one had seen it, they didn't talk about it; this was nothing to brag about._

_All eyes were on Peter Pettigrew. Bit by bit, they could see the whites of his eyes recede, now showing pale grey, formally blue, irises. Pettigrew's head rested on his shoulder, his mouth slightly open, his cheeks stained with dry tears._

_Finally, Dumbledore stood. "There is no reason for us to remain," he said quietly to the others, drawing their attention away from Pettigrew. Remus slowly turned to his mentor. Never before had he seen Dumbledore so... so _shaken_. He'd always thought the Headmaster was immune to such things. But he, just like the others, seemed to have lost much of his former color. _

"_Right you are, Albus," Moody said just as quietly, standing and pulling Kingsley shakily from his chair. Bones got to her feet, still trembling terribly, and took Dumbledore's proffered arm for support as they left the room._

"_Sirius?" Remus said hoarsely, still looking at Wormtail. He couldn't seem to get his legs to work._

"_Mmm?" Sirius grunted, unable to form words at the moment._

"_You all right?"_

_Sirius sniffed slightly, catching his breath. "I want to see Harry now," he whispered hoarsely._

_Remus nodded slowly. "Me too." He stood, hoping his knees wouldn't give way, and helped Sirius do the same._

_Silently, they left Azkaban Prison, took the Muggle boat back across the sea, and Apparated back to the Burrow._

* * *

Four sets of eyes—one grey, two blue, one brown—stared pensively at the kitchen table in Order Headquarters. Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, and Kingsley were each stuck inside their own memories of the scene they'd witnessed nearly nine years ago. It was nearing three in the morning, but none of the wizards felt the least bit drowsy.

"He was lying," Sirius whispered, his voice just as hoarse as he had been after Wormtail had received the Kiss. He looked hopefully at the others. "Right?"

Sirius and Kingsley had been immediately informed of what had occurred at the Department of Mysteries while they were out on their fake Death Eater mission. Sirius had nearly the same reaction as Remus—he, too, needed to find something solid to lean on, the closest thing being Kingsley.

"He wasn't lying," Remus said, not looking at his friend. "Dedalus confirmed it."

"But... how?" Kingsley asked weakly. "I know what I saw that day. And if that wasn't a soul being sucked out, I don't know what is."

"Maybe it didn't work," Sirius said, struggling for an explanation. "Maybe... maybe only half—or part—of Wormtail's soul was taken."

"No," Dumbledore said certainly. "The dementors would not have stopped until the process was completed."

"Then how the hell do you explain what happened tonight?" Sirius asked, his voice rising.

Dumbledore couldn't answer.

Remus rubbed his eyes roughly, not out of exhaustion, but to get the image of the Dementor's Kiss out of his head. There had to be a plausible explanation for what Dung and Dedalus had seen. Soulless people didn't just start acting of their own accord after nine years of doing nothing more than rocking back and forth in their Azkaban cell. They were shells, with only their brains and hearts to keep them alive. Sirius had told Remus on the rare occasions that he had to visit the prison what Wormtail was doing: nothing. There were days when he would hum tonelessly or pace his cell, but that was it.

Dementor's Kiss victims had no thoughts, no feelings to dwell on for the rest of their natural lives. There should be no desire to do anything, let alone attack hidden Order of the Phoenix members under Invisibility Cloaks. What would cause a soulless Wormtail to do... anything...? One thought came to Remus' mind, being the Dark Arts expert he was, but it was a long shot.

"Imperius..." he muttered aloud.

"What?" Sirius and Kingsley said.

Dumbledore sat straighter in his chair. "Go on," the Headmaster said.

"It's only a thought," Remus began. "Voldemort is somehow controlling Wormtail with the Imperius Curse. If not him, then a Death Eater that was there tonight. At the Ministry, I mean."

"He can't be under Imperius," Sirius said. "He has no soul!"

"One does not need a soul to be controlled, Sirius," Dumbledore countered. "Pettigrew's brain still functions, though there is no mind to try to fight the curse. This would make it easier to control the subject. A child with little amount of magical education, who could cast the Imperius Curse, would be able to control Pettigrew."

"Oh," was all Sirius could bring himself to say. He looked across the table at Remus. His friend had his face buried in his hands.

"The dream," Remus muttered thickly through his hands.

"What dream?" Kingsley asked.

Remus lowered his hands and sighed. "Just after Azkaban was raided, Harry told me of a dream he'd had. Peter had been here, in this kitchen, with his back towards the door. Harry tapped him on the shoulder and... that's where it ended."

"And you forgot to tell me about this... why?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

Remus shrugged. "It didn't seem important at the time. Harry's scar hadn't hurt or anything."

"Maybe Pettigrew's being possessed by You-Know-Who," Kingsley said thoughtfully. "Think about it: The prophecy is about You-Know-Who and Harry, right? No one else can touch it unless one of them does first, right? So You-Know-Who possessed Pettigrew and went to the Department of Mysteries to get the prophecy."

"No, if that were the case, the Death Eaters wouldn't have Disapparated when they couldn't get through the door. Besides, why would Voldemort go through the trouble of possessing someone? He's got his body back, why not just walk right into the Ministry, kill everyone around, and steal the prophecy," Sirius said.

"Now who's being optimistic?" Remus muttered sarcastically.

"Both possession and the Imperius Curse are highly probable," Dumbledore said. "I believe, gentlemen, that we have solved the 'test subject' mystery."

"What test subject mystery?" Kingsley asked.

"Long story," Sirius and Remus said in unison. "You owe me a Butterbeer, Moony." Sirius smirked.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "How can you..." he trailed off disbelievingly. "Never mind." No matter how grave the situation, Sirius still found the most idiotic way to crack a joke.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I must be off," he said, standing. "I'm sure Severus is waiting at the castle. Sleep well, boys."

Kingsley left shortly after Dumbledore, declining Sirius' offer to let him stay at Headquarters for the night. "I want my own bed tonight," he said, shivering slightly.

Silently, Sirius and Remus walked up the stairs to their bedrooms. They stared at one another, at a complete loss for words, for long moments before Remus muttered "good night" and went to his room.

Instead of going to his own room, Sirius crossed the hall and silently opened Harry's door. He entered, shut the door behind him, and leaned against the wall. Harry, as was usual at this time of night, sound asleep, his mouth partly open as he snored. Cautiously, so as to not wake his godson, Sirius moved towards the bed. His barefoot hit something soft, causing him to look down and smile softly. Lying next to Harry's bedside table was the stuffed stag the boy used to carry everywhere. Sirius reached down, picked it up, wiped a bit of dirt of the stag's back, and placed it in Harry's sleeping arms.

Sirius would tell Harry, whether Remus agreed to it or not, about Wormtail and the Department of Mysteries. There was no reason not to as far as Sirius could see, and for once, Harry should be informed as to what was happening around him. The more Harry knew, the easier it would be for him to defend himself if need be. Harry was the main target in this war—not one person in the Order could deny that fact—and things were hitting closer to home as the days went by. It could only be a matter of time before something came knocking on the front door of Number Twelve, forcing them to realize they were not immune to horror and misery. It happened last December at St. Mungo's, when Hestia Jones and her co-workers were murdered. War didn't always have a happy ending. That fact had been proved during the first war...

A burst of thunder caused Sirius to start, then laugh quietly at his obvious jumpiness.

_Old friends who aren't supposed to have souls coming back bad causing mayhem will do that,_ Sirius thought wryly.

Sighing, Sirius reached out a hand to move Harry's jet-black hair away from his closed eyes. He ran a finger softly across the lightning bolt scar on his godson's forehead. Harry James Potter would be the one to eventually end this war. He hadn't asked to be the savior of the wizarding world, nor did he want it—that was one of the few things Sirius was sure of. It was, however, Harry's destiny. No matter how often Sirius tried to deny that Harry would ever have to face Voldemort on his own, without Sirius' or Remus' protection, he had to face it: Harry was their only hope in this war.

Sirius bent down and gently kissed Harry's forehead, just above the legendary scar. "Night, kid," he whispered. "Sweet dreams." He pulled Harry's blankets up further around the now fifteen-year-old, tucking him in—just as he had done when Harry was younger.

Too tired to walk back down the hall, Sirius pulled out Harry's desk chair, sat, and buried his head in his folded arms.

* * *

Remus sat down with a groan the next afternoon on the sofa in the library. He'd woken only moments ago to find all of Number Twelve empty. A note on the kitchen counter informed him that Molly had taken the kids to Diagon Alley to meet Hermione's parents—she would be going to France with them in the coming days. Arthur and Sirius both had to go into the Ministry early that morning.

Any other time, Remus would have felt bad for sleeping in late—normally, he was awake and ready for the day at the crack of dawn. But after last night he couldn't care less about not seeing everybody for breakfast. Not to mention he hadn't slept well the night before. His dreams were full of confusing images featuring James, Lily, Harry, Sirius, Peter, and Naomi. A few times he'd woken, drenched in cold sweat, but not remembering what he'd been dreaming about.

Now that he was awake, he could remember one of the more disturbing dreams: Remus, Sirius, and Harry were standing in front of James and Lily's home at Godric's Hollow, waiting for the couple to answer the door. Instead, Peter and Naomi walked from the backyard together. Both of their forearms were red with the Dark Mark. Both grinned evilly. Both pointed their wands at Sirius, Harry, and Remus. In unison, both spoke the fateful Killing Curse. Before Remus could move forward and save his family, the bright green jets of light sped towards them, catching Sirius and Harry square in their chests.

Remus stared pensively out the window of the library. He wouldn't let it happen...

He started a bit as he heard the muffled hoot of an owl. Turning back to the door, Remus spotted a small brown owl, a letter in its beak, soar into the room, and land on the arm of the sofa.

"Who're you after?" Remus asked the animal.

The owl dropped the letter, letting it fall between Remus' knee and the sofa, and flew back out of the room with another hoot. Hesitantly, Remus reached down and picked up the letter. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered flatly, looking from the handwriting on the parchment to the door the owl had just left through. He reached for his wand, touched the letter with the tip, and started to recite the burning charm. He stopped, though, as his curiosity got the best of him.

_Curiosity killed the cat, you know_, said a voice in the back of Remus' mind.

_Well, I'm safe then,_ Remus thought back dryly, opening the letter.

* * *

Sirius sat tiredly between Kingsley and Dumbledore in Minister Bones' office. His neck and back were both quite stiff after a night of sleeping at Harry's desk—he made a mental note not to do that again anytime soon. The moment he'd arrived in Auror Headquarters, Tonks ambushed him with a note from the Minister herself. He was to find Shacklebolt and report to her office immediately.

Topics of the early morning meeting varied from Voldemort, to the safety of Hogwarts, and of course, Peter Pettigrew. Dumbledore had explained the theories Remus and Kingsley had come up with the night before while Bones, feeling the same as the others who'd witnessed the Dementor's Kiss, listened raptly.

Once the usual subjects had been exhausted, and after a large lunch provided by the Ministry house-elves, Dumbledore kindly asked Kingsley to return to Headquarters—he wished to speak with Sirius and Bones alone. With a raised, tired eyebrow, Sirius watched his second-in-command leave the office.

"Sirius," Dumbledore began, "we must discuss the prophecy."

Sirius resisted the urge to groan loudly and childishly. Instead, he nodded. "What about it, Albus?"

Dumbledore exchanged a swift glance with Bones. "Amelia and I were discussing its fate before you and Kingsley arrived."

"You were discussing the fate of a prophecy," Sirius repeated slowly, wondering exactly where this was leading.

"I'm sorry to say it, but it's just not safe here," Bones said, looking wary. "Dumbledore wishes to move it to Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts," Sirius repeated again. "Didn't we just discuss Hogwarts' safety? While I know Hogwarts is the safest place around—especially with you there, Albus—are you sure that's a good idea?"

For some reason, unbeknownst to Sirius, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Do you have another idea in mind, Sirius?"

"Destroy it," Sirius said promptly. "It's just a record, right? You know what's in the prophecy. As do I, Remus, and Harry. Get rid of it. That way Voldemort can't get it."

Sirius could have sworn he saw Dumbledore's lips twitch. "If I can guarantee its safety, would you agree to moving the prophecy to Hogwarts?"

"Harry would have to move it, wouldn't he?"

"He would, yes."

Sirius sighed. The last thing he wanted was for Harry to have the prophecy in his hands. Well, no, that wasn't entirely true—the last thing he wanted was for _Voldemort_ to have it, but he still didn't want Harry anywhere near it. If something were to happen to Harry and his guard (for there would be a guard—a large one, in fact), and they were ambushed by Death Eaters, the enemy could steal the prophecy and hand it over to Voldemort. "Are you going to ask Remus?" Sirius asked, postponing the moment he would have to answer Dumbledore.

"You are Harry's legal guardian, Sirius," Bones said. "You are the one who must decide."

"Remus has as much say in this as I do," Sirius said heatedly.

"Legally, he doesn't," Bones said regretfully. "His name is not on any of Harry's custody records. You, Sirius, are the only person legally allowed to raise Harry."

"Then change the damn paperwork!" Sirius yelled, suddenly on his feet. Dumbledore calmly stood beside him.

"We can't change it, Sirius," Bones said, not flinching at the man before her.

"The hell you can't!"

"Remus Lupin, while a wonderful, very competent wizard, is a were—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Sirius growled.

"Sirius! Calm yourself immediately," Dumbledore said, placing a hand on Sirius' arm to prevent the Auror from reaching for his wand.

Sirius blinked, suddenly remembering where he was, whom he was talking to. He looked around confusedly from Dumbledore to Minister Bones. He sat down slowly into his chair. "Sorry, Minister," he muttered sincerely, staring at a spot on her desk. "I didn't sleep well last night..."

"It's quite all right, Sirius. I understand your anger," Bones said. She smiled to show there were no hard feelings.

After a moment of tense silence, Dumbledore spoke again. "Back to the prophecy, Sirius," he said, still standing.

"Right. The prophecy, right," Sirius muttered. "Do what you think is best, sir."

* * *

Remus Apparated on the outskirts of Hogsmeade and instinctively looked behind him. He stood on a hill, not far from the Shrieking Shack, looking down on the peaceful village. Without another thought—he'd talk himself out of this if he thought—Remus followed the dirt path to the familiar caves. He glanced at his watch—3:30, it read.

As he walked, he reached into his robes and pulled out the silvery Invisibility Cloak. Wrapping himself in the cloak, Remus began to look around for the cave he'd seen so many times while he'd been a student.

Kicking up dirt with his invisible feet, Remus stopped suddenly and looked around to be sure he wasn't being followed, regardless of what the letter said, and moved to enter one particular cave. He squeezed between the rocks and the cave wall, careful not to snag the cloak—it'd seemed easier when he was fifteen.

He moved deeper into the cave, not daring to light his wand, and sat down on an old wooden milk crate. Remus shook his head at his own stupidity. Sirius would surely kill him when he heard what his friend was doing.

Remus stiffened as he spotted a shadow at the mouth of the cave. He heard a sigh and then a familiar voice call, "Remus?"


	28. Twenty Eight

**Warning:** Some of the language in this chapter is slightly stronger than I normally use. Don't say I didn't warn you.

* * *

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Eight_

Harry waited impatiently at the foot of the stairs at Number Twelve for his godfather to return from the Ministry. In his hand was a crumpled piece of parchment he'd found beside his open Hogwarts trunk. He'd returned from Diagon Alley to find his bedroom door wide open, books and school robes strewn around his trunk, and his Invisibility Cloak missing. The note he'd found was evidence as to who had been in his room, but he had no clue as to why Remus would take his cloak.

The Weasleys were down in the basement having dinner. Mrs. Weasley had tried to persuade Harry to eat with them, but the boy declined—he needed to talk to Sirius first. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Harry heard a wand tap on sharply on the front door. He jumped from his spot on the steps and wrenched the door open.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Sirius said, startled. "What are you doing?"

Harry didn't answer. He pulled Sirius up the stairs by the man's Ministry robes and into his room. Making sure they were, indeed, alone, Harry closed the door. "My cloak's gone, and I found this," he said hastily, handing the letter to Sirius.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Harry and un-crumpled the parchment. Harry watched Sirius' face grow tense with anger as he read. Sirius reached the end and nodded slowly, his face now void of emotion. "Right," he said tightly, staring at the parchment. "Right. Go downstairs and eat dinner. I'll be back later."

Sirius made to leave the room, but found Harry blocking his exit. "Who is Naomi?"

Sirius sighed, trying to keep his patience. "It's a long story," he said. Harry remained silent, crossing his arms, and not moving an inch. "Harry, I don't have time for this." Sirius sighed again. Harry gave his godfather a look that said '_make time'_. Sirius was startled to see how much the boy looked like both his mother and father at that very moment. "Fine, you really want to know? Naomi and Remus had been engaged to be married the winter after your parents died. She left him a week after Halloween. She'd become a Death Eater. Remus hasn't seen her since the night she'd told him. Now all of a sudden, because Voldemort's back, I'd reckon, she's trying to get in touch with him. Want to know more?"

Harry's mouth was slightly open at the revelation. "Remus was engaged?"

"Yes," Sirius said shortly. "And now I need to find out why the hell he's meeting her in Hogsmeade."

"I'm going, too," Harry said.

"No, you're not. And it's not open for argument, so don't even try," Sirius said flatly. "Excuse me," he added, moving his godson aside as gently as he could and ran down the stairs.

* * *

"Remus?" the voice said again. "Are you here?"

From under the Invisibility Cloak, Remus could see Naomi approaching, her wand giving her light to see by in the dark cave. Cautiously, he reached into his robes and retrieved his own wand.

Naomi, seeing herself seemingly alone, sighed, leaned against the cave wall, and looked around her sadly. For the slightest second, she looked like the same girl Remus had fallen for years ago. But the pain of what she'd done to him, and the memories of the night Hogwarts had been attacked, overcame everything else he was feeling. In one swift movement, he pulled off the cloak and pointed his wand at her. "What do you want?" he asked evenly.

Naomi started, her head facing the mouth of the cave, and instinctively raised her wand to the wizard before her.

"Remus," she said dumbly. "Hi."

"What do you want?" he asked again, keeping a tight grip on his wand.

"I-I just want to talk," she stuttered, eyeing Remus' wand warily.

"Drop your wand," he commanded. She did and he summoned it to him, pocketing it without take his eyes off her. The tip of her wand was still lit, giving both occupants of the cave light to see one another by. "Talk," he said.

"Could you lower your wand?"

"Not a chance in hell," Remus responded coldly.

Naomi sighed. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to take a step closer to Remus—his wand kept her back. "I-I'm sorry for everything," she said. Sighing again, she tried to gather herself. "I shouldn't have done it. I was scared."

"Scared?" Remus repeated. He didn't need her to expand on why she was apologizing. "You joined the most feared wizard in history because you were _scared_?" he said loudly, his voice echoing off the cave wall. "Do you have any idea how ignorant that sounds? Dammit, Naomi! We were all scared! I was scared! I was scared for you and for Lily and James and Harry. I was scared for Sirius, and even Peter. But do you see me with a brand on my arm?"

"I didn't know what else to do! How was I supposed to know Harry would defeat him? I was just as upset as you when I found about Lily and James," Naomi said.

"Bull shit!" Remus shouted. Naomi winced as red sparks flew from Remus' wand. "You didn't care! Not once did I see you cry over them, not even at their funerals. Not _once_ did I have to comfort you. Now that I think about it, not _once_ did you comfort me!"

"Remus... You know that's not true," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I did care. I spent _days_ crying over them. They were two of the best friends I ever had. How could I not have cried for them?"

"I don't believe you," he spat. "Is this why you wanted me here? Because I have better things to do that talk to Death Eaters."

"There is a reason," she said hastily as Remus moved to leave. "I-I want to go see Dumbledore. I was hoping you'd come with me...?" she added hesitantly.

"Go with you?" Remus repeated. Naomi nodded. "You're mad. You held me back from helping Harry at Hogwarts. You laughed in my face while he was in danger. Your best friend's son—_James' _son. He could have died that night, and you held me back. Now you think I would want to help you?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Naomi cried. "The place was swarming with Death Eaters, not to mention the Dark Lord. I couldn't just lay my wand down and let you pass! They would have killed me!"

"Then you should have died," Remus growled. "Stay away from me, Naomi." He stepped around her—how had she gotten so close without him noticing? "Stay away from me from and Sirius and especially from Harry. If anything happens to either of them, whether you were involved or not, I will find you and I will kill you myself."

Naomi could only watch as Remus left the cave as quickly as he could. He looked up and down the path leading to and away from Hogsmeade. He made to Apparate to headquarters before a hand grasped his shoulder and roughly spun him around. Remus' fist connected with his attacker's face, which he couldn't see due to the setting sun in his eyes.

"Ow, Remus!" Sirius cried. "What the _hell_ is it with you and Harry?"

"Sirius?" Remus said, squinting to see his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Sirius said, forgetting his bruising eye, his anger building. "Are you stupid?" he shouted.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm aware of, no," he responded calmly, not flinching at the tone Sirius used.

"She's a fucking Death Eater, Remus! Not your long lost love," Sirius hissed.

"Thank you, Sirius, for that kind assessment. I never would have known that if you hadn't just told me," Remus said sarcastically.

"Is she still in there?" Sirius asked, nodding towards the cave.

"Unless she wants to Disapparate without a wand, yes," Remus said.

Sirius entered the cave, lit his wand, and held it high over his head. "She's not here," he said.

"Okay, I guess she doesn't need her wand," Remus said lightly. Sirius glared at him. "Look, she was just here, and she didn't follow me out. And I'm sure we would have noticed her sneaking out behind us."

"Let's get back to Headquarters. We can talk there," Sirius said. "Besides, Harry's probably going spare; he found that note."

Remus winced. "What did you tell him?"

"Everything," Sirius said simply before Disapparating.

* * *

Remus and Sirius entered Number Twelve, finding the stairs deserted—much to Sirius' surprise—and made their way up the stairs to the library. Once the door was closed, Sirius turned around and slapped Remus hard across the back of the head.

"What was that for?" Remus asked loudly, rubbing the back of his now throbbing head.

"Revenge. Well, mostly for you being an idiot," Sirius said, sitting on the arm of the sofa. "Do you know how much trouble you can get into for even _conversing_ with a known Death Eater? Not to mention you're a—well, you know," he added lamely.

"Yes, I know," Remus said. "But I brought back souvenirs."

Sirius watched as Remus pulled out a dark red wand from his robes and handed it to him. "Hers?" he asked, taking the wand. Remus nodded. "And you're positive it's hers and not a fake?"

"Positive," Remus said, nodding. "I was with her when she bought it. It was a replacement."

Sirius nodded. "Tell me everything."

Remus sat in an armchair across from Sirius and began to explain what happened with Naomi.

"Did she really want to see Dumbledore or to get you out in the open where ten other Death Eaters were waiting to capture you?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know." Remus sighed. "I had her wand, and we were—supposedly—alone the entire time. If she wanted to kill me—or capture me—she probably could have."

"And you say I'm reckless," Sirius muttered, a grin forming on his face.

Remus chuckled. "How was your day?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "How much time do you have?"

* * *

Three days later, surrounded by ten of the Ministry's best Aurors, led by Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin, Harry made his way slowly to the Department of Mysteries. Everything had been explained to him—Peter Pettigrew, the prophecy, Naomi—and he knew what he had to do.

Standing directly to his right was Sirius. This was just another mission as far as he was concerned—though the consequences of failure were higher than just a few days in St. Mungo's. He'd handpicked everybody involved in the guard surrounding Harry: Kingsley, Tonks, Moody, Dawlish, as well as five others. They were people Sirius would trust with his life. But when it came to Harry's life, Sirius only trusted himself and Remus with that duty, and on rare occasions such as this, Dumbledore.

As they approached the Department of Mysteries doors, Sirius spotted Broderick Bode standing beside Minster Bones. Bode nodded to the group and led them into a large, black, circular room with blue candles on the walls.

"Hall of Prophecies," Bode said clearly once the door was closed behind them.

Harry started a bit as the walls began to spin rapidly. Sirius chuckled softly. "All right, Harry?" he muttered.

"Fine," Harry replied.

Once the walls were still again, Bode pushed open a door in front of him and held it open for the others. He winked and sent an encouraging smile to Harry as the group entered single file. They'd entered a room with more clocks than Harry had seen in his life. Sirius kept him from lingering to look around, however; he tugged gently on Harry's elbow, encouraging him to keep moving. They stepped into a room with a ceiling as high as a church's and towering shelves with dusty, glowing orbs filling them.

The wizards around him were instructed by Sirius to keep their wands out as they walked down rows and rows of shelves. Dumbledore seemed to know exactly where he was going; he led the group expertly through the room until they found row ninety-seven.

"Harry," Dumbledore called softly. Sirius walked with Harry to the front of the guard. Dumbledore led Harry, Sirius, and Remus down the row and pointed out Harry's prophecy.

* * *

Harry stared at it for long moments, wondering how a glass ball—no bigger than a Bludger—could have caused his life turn out as it had.

"Go on, Harry," Remus urged quietly.

Harry nodded and sighed. He reached out a hand and grasped the prophecy tightly, feeling the surprising warmth of it immediately. Slowly, carefully, he brought the orb to eyelevel, his guardians and Dumbledore watching him closely. He read the yellowish label affixed to the Prophecy: _S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D., Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter._

"Harry," Dumbledore whispered, holding out his hand. Harry exchanged a glance with Sirius and Remus, and slowly handed the prophecy to the Headmaster. Dumbledore immediately wrapped it in a piece of black cloth and placed it safely inside his robes. "To Hogwarts," he said to the group.

Bode led the lot of them from the Hall of Prophecies and out of the Department of Mysteries. Sirius dismissed his Aurors, sending them back to work. Bones led Dumbledore, Remus, Sirius, Harry, and Moody to her office where Dumbledore and Remus would take a portkey with the prophecy back to Hogwarts.

* * *

Sirius sat at the kitchen table in Order Headquarters, watching Harry draw circles with his finger on the wooden surface. For a moment in the Hall of Prophecies, Sirius had been highly tempted to wrench the golden orb from Harry's hands and throw it against a wall. Dumbledore had probably sensed this; he'd taken the prophecy from Harry only a moment before Sirius had moved forward.

The Weasleys had gone back to the Burrow for the day to gather some forgotten items and take care of their garden. Molly and Arthur were well aware of what Sirius, Remus, and Harry were doing that day, and thought it best to keep the kids away so more questions wouldn't be asked.

Dumbledore and Remus were left in charge of guarding the prophecy. The two wizards remained at Hogwarts, placing every protection charm they could think of around the orb, and placing it in a deep, hidden chamber of the school. For some reason, the prophecy, no matter how well it would be guarded, still didn't seem safe enough. The protections surrounding it would be kept to only Dumbledore and Remus, neither telling the other what spells they'd used.

_Maybe Hagrid can get a Chimaera,_ Sirius thought. _And a dragon, maybe three or four trolls, and... isn't there supposed to be a giant spider in the Forbidden Forest...?_

"Hey, Sirius," Harry said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Is that what you were guarding?"

Sirius looked up at his godson. _Of course he knows, moron; he's Prongs' son._ "Yes," he answered.

Harry nodded. "What else are you doing?"

Sirius sighed. "How much do you know?" he asked hesitantly.

"Only that you're fighting Voldemort, really." Harry shrugged. "And you've been guarding the prophecy."

"You shouldn't even know that," Sirius muttered, slightly irritated. "Look, all you really need to know is that we know what we're doing. We've done this before—"

"And look how that turned out," Harry said under his breath. Sirius obviously hadn't heard him.

"—and this time we're more prepared. To be truthful, we've been prepared for almost eleven years," Sirius finished.

"You knew this was going to happen?"

"Well, we knew it would happen eventually. There was no way we really could have known when or how Voldemort would be coming back. And when I say 'we,' I mean Remus. I argued it until that night in the graveyard," Sirius said.

Harry's eyebrows shot up. Sirius never mentioned that night if he could help it, and very rarely did he mention it in front of Harry.

"Having the Order reformed was actually how we found you, you know. Moody, Kingsley, Remus, Dung, Dumbledore, and I. Longest night of my life, that was," Sirius rambled quietly. Harry remained silent. "As much as I loathe the man, it was because of Snape that I found you. During the battle he—er—_kindly_ informed me that Wormtail had taken you to that graveyard."

"That was the best Reductor curse I've ever seen in my life." Harry grinned.

"That was the _first _Reductor curse you'd ever seen in your life," Sirius muttered. Harry shrugged. "Oh, by the way, I'm the one who found your stag. It was buried in a box back at the cottage. Thought you'd want to keep it nearby."

"Thanks." Harry smiled.

Sirius winked. "I'm going upstairs, see if I can find some stuff for work tomorrow. Get to bed at a semi-decent hour. Remus has some work for Dumbledore to do tomorrow, so you're going with me to the Ministry in the morning." Harry groaned. "Yeah, now you know how I feel." Sirius grinned before disappearing up the stairs.

* * *

Remus sat tiredly in front of Dumbledore's desk while the elder wizard poured the two of them some brandy. They had just finished with the protection spells on the prophecy, and Dumbledore was preparing to tell Remus about a new mission for the Order that he would be sent on the following day.

Hagrid had gone, along with Madame Maxime from Beauxbatons, to meet with the giants and perhaps persuade them to stay away from Voldemort's ranks. Remus' new mission was to follow a group of Death Eaters trailing Hagrid's path, and lead them away from the giants. Remus' partner on the mission would be Emmeline Vance—much to Dumbledore's obvious amusement. The pair would leave mid-afternoon and travel to France, pretending to be a couple on vacation, much like Hagrid and Maxime.

"I would like the two of you to be prepared to leave at noon tomorrow," Dumbledore said. "I've already spoken with Emmeline."

"What about Harry's Occlumency?" Remus asked.

"I have already arranged that as well. Elphias Doge and Mundungus Fletcher will fill-in for Emmeline whilst you are away. If they cannot fulfill the requirements, or Harry does not find either of them a suitable instructor, I will take over," Dumbledore explained.

_Should have been you in the first place_, Remus thought slightly bitterly, careful to avoid eye contact with Dumbledore.

"I, personally, will see to it that you and Emmeline have tracking charms placed upon you. We will monitor your progress carefully throughout the journey. Should there be any problems, aid will not be far," the Headmaster continued.

It sounded to Remus that Dumbledore was sending him and Emmeline into the gates of hell—it was just France... While it would be a dangerous mission, Remus had been involved in far more perilous operations during the first war.

"Things are much different now, Remus," Dumbledore said heavily, looking his age again. "We know what we are dealing with, yes, but there are far worse things to come that we have yet to discover. This war has yet to begin, I am afraid. Voldemort's powers are still a mystery to us, and perhaps to him as well. There are very few people I would trust with my life, Remus, but you, my dear boy, are one of them," Dumbledore said quietly. "And I trust you will carry out this mission admirably."

Remus' eyes widened slightly at the sudden revelation from his mentor—the man who had trusted in him since he was eleven years old when most had shunned him. What could anyone say to that?

"Thank you, sir," Remus said quietly.

Dumbledore smiled and bowed his head respectfully. "Thank _you_, Remus," he said. "Now, I am sure you are anxious to return to Headquarters and pack for your—er—holiday with the lovely Emmeline Vance, so I will not keep you any longer. I will see you tomorrow, Remus."


	29. Twenty Nine

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Nine_

Before sunrise the next morning, Remus woke abruptly with an odd feeling of being watched, and looked groggily around his room. He looked to his left and jumped so far backwards that he nearly fell off his bed. Kreacher was standing right next to his bed, staring, with a toothy grin on his face.

"Would Master like Kreacher to bring breakfast before Master's journey?" the house-elf asked brightly.

Remus raised an eyebrow. Kreacher never called him master, and the question hadn't even been followed by a muttered insult about Remus being a dirty werewolf. "Er, no, Kreacher, that won't be necessary, I can get my own breakfast," the wizard said suspiciously. "Thanks."

Kreacher bowed low to the ground. "Kreacher wishes Master luck on his journey and hopes Master is careful. There is many bad wizards about, Kreacher knows," the elf said before disappearing with a loud _crack_.

Remus stared disbelievingly at the spot where Kreacher had just been. Had the lunatic house-elf finally completely lost his mind? He'd never acted like that before, and it made Remus slightly uneasy to think Kreacher just happened to change his behavior right before Remus was to leave on his mission.

Remus reached for the wand on his bedside table and muttered, "_Lumos_." He looked around the room for anything that could possibly cause him any harm, but found the room seemingly safe. Cautiously, he stepped onto the cold, wooden floor and took tentative steps towards his door. He wouldn't put anything past Kreacher after the behavior he'd witnessed moments ago.

He crept out into the hallway, finding it deserted, and made to go down the stairs. He stopped on a creaking floorboard and winced. Remus didn't know what he was being so cautious about—did he expect somebody to jump out at him?

_Knowing Kreacher, he might have let someone in while we were all asleep..._ Remus thought darkly. Of course, the Fidelius Charm over the house would not allow any foes in, but charms—even ones cast by Dumbledore—could be broken with enough magical power.

Remus' heart began to beat violently in his chest as he spotted a shadow around a corner by the staircase. He raised his wand, ready to strike, and moved forward.

"_STUPEFY_!" Remus shouted, sticking his wand around the corner.

"_PROTEGO_!" a voice shouted at a split second later. "Moony?"

Remus, prepared to call out another curse, raised eyebrow. "Sirius?"

"What's going on?" Arthur yelled, throwing open his and Molly's bedroom door, his wand also at the ready.

"It's all right, Arthur," Remus said. "Sirius, take that charm off, please."

A wand raised itself in the air, tapped the top of Sirius' Disillusioned head, and the Auror appeared before them. Seconds later, the hallway was filled with tired Weasleys and Harry in their pajamas. Questions flooded the hallway until Sirius whistled loudly. "Remus," Sirius said calmly once silence had fallen in the hall, "why did you try to stun me?"

"I didn't know it was you," Remus said. "Why did you have a Disillusionment Charm on?"

"Kreacher popped into my room and told me someone was in the house," Sirius explained, looking around as if Voldemort was going to jump out of the linen closet.

"Kreacher was in _my_ room asking if I wanted breakfast," Remus said. "Then he wished me a safe journey and left."

"Well, since we're all awake, we may as well have breakfast," Molly said cheerfully, ignoring the tension in the hall and tying her dressing gown around her body. "Come on, you lot, downstairs." Fred and George exchanged a look and went back to their rooms for more sleep. Ron and Ginny immediately followed their examples.

Sirius, Remus, and Harry remained in the hallway. The two older wizards stared at one another for long minutes, communicating silently. Kreacher was up to something, that much was certain. What he was doing, unfortunately, was a mystery.

"Maybe you shouldn't go," Sirius said quietly to Remus.

"I have to," Remus said.

Sirius sighed. He glanced at Harry and turned on his heel to walk down to the kitchen. Harry watched his godfather's retreating back pensively. He knew Remus would be leaving on some sort of mission that day for the Order. Neither Remus nor Sirius felt he needed to know anymore than that, but Sirius was obviously worried. Harry wasn't feeling much better about it himself.

"I'll be fine, Harry," Remus whispered as if reading Harry's mind.

Harry nodded and smiled weakly. "Yeah, I know. Come on, food."

Remus chuckled as Harry dragged him by his shirt sleeve down the stairs.

* * *

Sirius stirred his porridge moodily while Remus and Arthur discussed the _Daily Prophet_.

"There's nothing going on in the Ministry that we are not aware of," Remus said, biting into his bacon. "You and Sirius are both heads of your departments. Bones is in constant contact with Dumbledore. Half of the Order is employed with the Ministry..."

"Yes, but there's still the chance of spies," Arthur argued. The _Prophet _that morning was reporting a conspiracy within the Ministry of Magic. Former Minister Cornelius Fudge had been quoted throughout the article, claiming Minister Bones had taken over his job unlawfully, even though the Wizengamot had voted her in. Fudge had asked for an inquiry into Bones' motives for the war.

Sirius let his friends' voices fade. If he could talk Remus into aborting his mission with Emmeline, he would. Hagrid could take care of himself—he didn't need Remus to lead the Death Eaters away from the giant camps. Sirius was being selfish, he knew, but he preferred to call it being protective.

Remus was a highly competent wizard, but if he was caught off guard at the wrong moment, he could find himself in danger. Many deaths in the first war were not in a hail of wandfire, but a second's hesitation or a moment of carelessness. Remus and Emmeline were two of the most intelligent in the Order, and would no doubt keep their guard high. But it only took a moment.

"Sirius..." Remus was saying.

"Huh?" Sirius muttered dumbly. "Sorry, drifted off for a second. What's up?"

"Don't you have to be at the Ministry soon?" Remus asked.

Sirius raised an eyebrow and looked at his watch. It was almost eight-thirty. "Dammit," he said, abandoning his cold breakfast. He left the kitchen quickly and met Harry halfway up the stairs. His godson was already dressed and ready to go to the Ministry. "Let me get dressed. I'll meet you in the kitchen," he said hastily, taking the stairs two at a time.

Harry rolled his eyes and continued down the stairs.

* * *

An hour later, Sirius sat comfortably behind his desk, legs propped up as he dictated to his quill, which was writing a report for him. Harry was out on a self-guided tour of the Ministry in search of lunch. The boy had been to the Ministry numerous times since Sirius' appointment to Head Auror. He knew many of the Ministry's employees by first name, and spent the majority of his visits in the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

"Er, Sirius?" Kingsley said, amusement evident in his voice as he entered Sirius' office.

"Yeah?" Sirius said, letting his quill drop on the desk, happy for the interruption.

Kingsley chuckled slightly as he looked from a file in his hand to his boss. "Johnson just turned in a report about suspicious activity from a former Death Eater."

Sirius dropped his legs from the desk and sat up straight. "Who?" he asked swiftly and eagerly.

Kingsley closed the door and handed Sirius the file. Sirius opened the folder and groaned loudly. Severus Snape's greasy face was glaring at him from a black and white photo. "Please, tell me you're joking," he pleaded.

"Nope," Kingsley said. "Johnson's put in a request to investigate Snape."

"What'd you tell Johnson?" Sirius asked, flipping through the file.

"Told him Snape has been cleared of all Death Eater charges. He hasn't been on the watch list since before the first war ended. And that I'd take it up with you."

Sirius nodded. "Okay, tell Johnson I want him to relieve Tonks and Dawlish from Azkaban. Evans is going with him. They're to be there at four o'clock."

Kingsley smirked. "No problem, boss. What time you leaving today?"

"Couple hours. Harry and Ron want me to take them to Diagon Alley tonight," Sirius said.

"When's Remus leaving?"

"'Bout an hour. Dumbledore and Emmeline should be there soon."

Kingsley nodded, then grinned. "Speaking of Emmeline..."

Sirius laughed. "I don't know what's going on with them, so don't ask. Remus obviously fancies her more than a little. And I've caught both of them flirting a few times."

"You know, in all the time I've known Lupin, I've never seen him take interest in women," Kingsley said thoughtfully.

Sirius laughed loudly. "You're kidding, right? Trust me, Kingsley, Remus is interested. The man was corrupted at a young age by James Potter and yours truly. No need to worry about his interest."

Kingsley headed back to work a few minutes later, leaving Sirius with his work.

* * *

Remus said goodbye to Molly and her children before heading down to the kitchen to wait for Dumbledore and Emmeline. The Weasleys were trying to clean out the attic, a job that took high levels of concentration—there was no telling what was up there.

He went to his bedroom and gathered his knapsack, double-checking that Sirius' two-way mirror was safely inside. He rolled his eyes but smiled when he saw the pack of dungbombs with a note tied to the package:

_Every Marauder needs a good prank to hold him over on long journeys. Get Emmeline good for us! _

—_Sirius and Harry_

"Gits," Remus muttered affectionately, placing the dungbombs carefully back in his bag.

Kreacher hadn't been seen since earlier that morning. Arthur and Remus had checked the house-elf's normal hiding spots—Mrs. Black's former bedroom, the linen closets, bathrooms, the attic—but had no luck. There was no proof showing that Kreacher had ever left Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, but Remus was still growing suspicious. He would ask Dumbledore to keep a closer eye on Kreacher during his absence—Sirius never took Kreacher seriously.

Remus smiled as he entered the kitchen. Dumbledore and Emmeline were quietly conversing at the table. "I wasn't expecting you for another hour," Remus said to them, setting his bag on the kitchen counter.

"I just wanted to be sure that the two of you are prepared for the mission," Dumbledore said. "I've taken the liberty, Remus, of bringing your potion. You should be back long before you will need it, but better safe than sorry, hmm?"

"Er, right, thank you, sir," Remus muttered, taking the flasks of Wolfsbane from the headmaster and carefully avoiding Emmeline's eye.

Dumbledore retrieved a rolled up map from his robes and painted out the best routes for Remus and Emmeline to take on their mission. They would portkey from Headquarters to the border of France, where they would hike into the mountains, cross paths with Hagrid and Maxime, and camp out ten miles from the first giant camp. And that would only be night one...

As scheduled, Dumbledore preformed tracking charms on Emmeline and Remus at noon. Wishing them the best of luck, Dumbledore handed them an old butterbeer bottle as a portkey.

"See you soon, Albus." Remus smiled before the portkey took him and Emmeline away.

* * *

Sirius led Harry and Ron through Diagon Alley later that night. Dumbledore had been at Headquarters when Sirius and Harry had returned from the Ministry, and he'd informed them that Remus and Emmeline had arrived safely in France. While Sirius was pleased that his friends hadn't been ambushed the moment their feet touched ground, his worries for their safety were far from alleviated. He was so caught up in thoughts of what could happen to Remus and Emmeline that he nearly knocked over a woman and her son in the crowd.

"So sorry," Sirius said sincerely, grabbing for the woman before she fell. He was about to apologize again until he saw who he was helping up. "Narcissa," he said coldly.

"Sirius," she replied disgustedly, dusting off her robes as if Sirius had somehow dirtied them.

"And this must be Draco." Sirius eyed the boy who glared maliciously at Harry and Ron. Draco's lip curled in distaste as he looked Sirius over. "Happy shopping," Sirius said tensely to his cousins. "Come on, boys," he added as Harry and Ron continued to glare at the Malfoys.

"Can't you just arrest them?" Harry asked once they were out of earshot of the Malfoys.

"I could, but I'd probably lose my job. And as much as I despise Narcissa, she's not worth it," Sirius muttered.

"Still, it'd be funny." Ron smirked. "Could you imagine Malfoy behind bars?" he added, staring off wistfully.

"There's another Malfoy I want first, before I get the rest of his family," Sirius said darkly, exchanging a significant glance with Harry. "Why don't you two head into Quality Quidditch Supplies. I'm going to check in with Kingsley; he's on guard duty tonight."

The two younger wizards nodded—Sirius handed Harry ten galleons for spending money—and disappeared into the crowd.

Sirius passed Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Shop and spotted Kingsley standing atop the stairs of Gringotts, two goblins by his side. "How's it going?" Sirius called to his friend as he ascended the stairs.

"Boring," Kingsley said. "Business around here usually slows down before sunset—nobody wants to be out past dark. So they're all rushing to get their shopping done now."

"You just better hope things don't get more interesting," Sirius said. "Listen, I just—literally—ran into Narcissa Malfoy and her kid. They could just be shopping or they could be here for another reason, I don't know. But keep a lookout for anything that doesn't seem right," he said. "Harry and Ron are in the Quidditch shop, so I've got to run. Contact me on my wand if you need anything."

"Got it, boss. See you later."

Sirius waved to Kingsley and made his way back to the Quidditch Supply shop. Harry and Ron were, unsurprisingly, looking at the new shipment of broomsticks, looks of longing on both of their faces. "You've got a Firebolt, Harry," Sirius whispered to his godson. "You don't need a new one."

"Ron's looking for a new broom," Harry muttered distractedly. "Have you seen the new robes the Cannons have got for this season?"

Sirius rolled his eyes but allowed Harry to drag him over to the robes. An hour later, Sirius was finally able to get the two boys out of the Quidditch shop and into the joke shop across the alleyway.

Sirius and Ron were examining a cigarette lighter that shot dye into the victim's face—Sirius was contemplating giving one to Dung. Harry was on the other side of the store looking at a book that confused its reader—the pages kept moving out of order; the words appeared jumbled and reformed to insult the reader.

Finally, his arms laden down with new pranking supplies, Sirius called for Ron and Harry to leave the shop. Just as he was preparing to pay for his items, screams began to cut through the air. The shop, formally full of laughing customers, fell into a tense, fearful silence.

"Stay here," Sirius muttered to Harry and Ron, dropping his items on the counter. "Do not, under any circumstances, leave this shop, do you understand me?" he added as Harry began to argue.

Rolling his eyes, Harry nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good, I'll be back. You," he said, pointing to the shop owner. "Lock the door behind me and Floo Auror Headquarters in the Ministry." The shop owner nodded and followed Sirius to the door.

With one last look at Harry and Ron, Sirius exited the shop to find a hundred witches and wizards running for safety. A group of more than twenty Death Eaters—_There have to be more..._ Sirius thought—were marching forward, cursing and jinxing the innocent victims as they passed.

Sirius pulled out his wand and immediately called, "_STUPEFY!_" into the group. His spell missed and he had to take cover behind a large trash bin to avoid a Hurling Hex that was sent his way.

"KINGSLEY!" Sirius shouted into the tip of his wand. "Where are you?"

A moment of silence was followed by, "Madame Malkin's! I've already stunned three of them. Backup is on its way!"

"_DIFFINDO!_" Sirius shouted at an approaching Death Eater, causing a large gash to appear in the other's shoulder. "_EXPELLIARMUS!_" The Death Eater's wand flew into Sirius' hand—he snapped it in half over his knee and tossed it over his shoulder.

The remaining Death Eaters had become aware of Sirius' presence and seemed to amuse themselves by seeing how many curses the Auror could deflect at one time.

_Where is my damn backup?_ Sirius wondered, sending curses back into the enemy ranks. _And why do I feel like I'm having déjà vu? _

Not two minutes later, Aurors were Apparating into Diagon Alley, stunning and binding as many Death Eaters they could.

"_IMPEDIMENTA!_" Sirius shouted, beginning a duel with one of the masked foes trying to hex Tonks.

"SIRIUS!" the Auror heard someone shout behind him. Instinctively, Sirius ducked down as he felt the _whoosh_ of the Killing Curse pass over his head. Cursing, Sirius spun around to the offending Death Eater. "_PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" _The Death Eater's legs snapped together and the wizard fell to the ground, stiff as a board.

"Well, well, well," said a too-familiar voice from behind Sirius. "If it isn't Ickle Sirikins."

"Bella," Sirius growled, spinning around to face his cousin.

"Long time no see, Sirius," the witch said.

"Not long enough, actually," Sirius replied. "You miss Azkaban yet?" Without waiting for a reply, he sent a stunning spell in Bellatrix's direction. She cast a shielding charm at the same moment, sending the spell into a building.

The duel that followed was one that Sirius would never forget. It was one that would go down in his all-time best performance list. Sirius' and Bellatrix's wands were a blur of colors as they sent curse after curse at one another. Sirius was forced to duck down again as Bellatrix sent a Killing Curse towards him.

He stood and grinned evilly at his cousin. "Come on, Bella! No need to play dirty! _EXPELLIARMUS!_"

"_PROTEGO!_"

The battle went on. Everything around the two cousins stopped as far as they were concerned. Over thirty years of hatred was spilling from them as they fought.

Sirius made a half glance to his left as he thought he saw bright red hair pass by him.

"_STUPEFY!" _Bellatrix shouted.

Sirius tried to duck out of the way, to cast a shielding charm, but the red jet of light hit him square in the chest. As he fell to the ground, he could hear Bellatrix's cry of triumph and Harry's muffled screams from the joke shop.


	30. Thirty

_**Lies**_

By Neurotica

_Thirty_

"SIRIUS!" Harry shouted, banging on the window of the joke shop. He'd just witnessed his godfather being hit with a stunning spell by a Death Eater. Shaking, he pushed his way through the crowd of customers that had been watching the battle outside. They'd been locked in the shop by the owner, on Sirius' orders. Harry tried to push and pull the door open—it was still locked.

"Unlock it!" he commanded the shop owner.

"Are you mad, boy?" the elderly shop owner asked. "There's Death Eaters out there! You'll get killed!"

Harry kicked the door before Ron pulled him back. "I'm not staying in here!" Harry yelled furiously.

"There's nothing you can do, mate," Ron said shakily. "It's not like he's dead; he's just stunned."

"But if he stays out there..." Harry trailed off, glaring at the window as if it had stunned Sirius.

"He'll be fine, Harry," Ron said bracingly. "There're other Aurors out there. They won't let him get hurt..."

Harry moved away from his best friend and began to pace between the nose-biting teacups and a bucket of fake galleons. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. If he could only get outside...

A window in the shop shattered, causing customers to scream and duck as a Reductor curse broke through. A few of the braver customers attempted to defend the others from further attack. While they were occupied, and before Ron could stop him, Harry ran across the shop, pulling out his wand and jumped through the broken window. He didn't stop even as he felt large shards of glass cut deeply into his leg.

He found Sirius in the chaos—he looked to have many bruises and cuts, as a result of Death Eaters running over him intentionally—Harry had seen them at it. Harry pulled his godfather to the side of a building and tried to revive him. It wasn't working—he'd only ever stunned anything, he'd never had to revive someone... He'd have to get one of the Aurors...

"_ENNERVATE!_" he cried again, his wand pointing at Sirius' chest.

Nothing.

"Dammit," Harry muttered, looking around.

Ron had also left the joke shop and found Harry with Sirius. "Is he okay?" he asked, kneeling beside Harry.

"I think so," Harry said. "He's breathing, at least."

"DUCK!" Ron cried, pushing Harry to the ground as a dark blue jet of light invaded their alley.

"HARRY!" they heard Kingsley call.

"Over here!" Ron called back.

Kingsley skidded into the alley. "He all right?" he asked hurriedly, looking over his shoulder, aiming curses.

"Stunned," Harry said.

Kingsley sighed in relief. "Gimme your shoe," he said.

Without questioning the strange request, Harry pulled off his left shoe and tossed it to Kingsley. "_Portus_," Kingsley muttered, tapping the shoe with his wand. "You've got five seconds. Make sure you've got a good hold on Sirius."

Harry nodded and caught the portkey as Kingsley threw it back. Ron grabbed one of Sirius' arms and touched the shoe; Harry did the same. A few seconds later, they were flying through a jumble of colors and landed on the cold floor of Number Twelve's kitchen.

Harry caught Sirius' head before it slammed into the ground (_He's got enough brain damage_, Harry thought with an affectionate smirk) and laid it down gently. He heard a sharp gasp and looked up to see Molly and Arthur rushing down the stairs.

With Ron's help, Harry hurriedly explained what happened in Diagon Alley. Arthur cursed loudly and Flooed immediately to the Leaky Cauldron to help the Aurors. Molly moved Harry and Ron away from Sirius and easily revived him.

Sirius took in a loud, shaky breath and began to cough. Molly turned him on his side and patted him hard on his back. Harry's eyes widened when he saw Sirius was coughing up blood.

"You two, upstairs," Molly said sharply.

"But..." Harry began.

"Go!" Sirius croaked, not looking up. Harry swallowed and allowed Ron to pull him up the stairs.

"Stay still, dear," Molly said soothingly, conjuring a pillow to lay his head on. Sirius winced as he felt a sharp pain in his ribcage. It felt like he had a few broken ribs... "I'll contact Madam Pomfrey, Sirius. You stay there."

Fifteen minutes later, the Hogwarts school nurse had conjured a cot for Sirius to lie on and repaired his bones easily. She spread some sort of fruity-smelling ointment on his bruises, causing a cool sensation to run through his aching body.

Feeling considerably better after a painkilling potion, but still not permitted to move, Sirius asked Molly to let Harry back in. He could see his godson's shadow pacing behind the closed kitchen door. "What happened to your leg?" Sirius asked as Harry limped down the stairs with Ron's help.

"Broken window," Harry muttered, wincing as his leg began to give way. Molly rushed over to help Harry to a chair.

Madam Pomfrey tutted as she moved over to Harry. "Just like your father," she murmured.

Sirius snorted in humor as Harry grinned weakly. The nurse waved her wand over Harry's leg, taking the glass out of the wound, cleaning it, and sealing it.

"Heard from Kingsley?" Ron asked, sitting beside Harry.

"No, but they should be back soon," Sirius said, accepting a mug of tea from Molly. "Thank you," he said to the witch.

Fred, George and Ginny wandered down to the kitchen not much later, unaware of the events in Diagon Alley. "They attacked the joke shop?" George asked loudly. Ron and Harry chuckled slightly—it really was no laughing matter.

"Was anybody hurt?" Ginny asked. "I mean, besides you and Harry, Sirius."

Sirius winked at her. "I don't know," he said honestly. "We'll find out soon, I'm sure."

An hour later, Kingsley, Arthur, and Tonks Flooed back into Headquarters. Kingsley was sporting a bloody nose while Tonks seemed to have broken her ankle—she was being supported by Kingsley and Arthur.

"Tripped over a bloody rock," Tonks grumbled, allowing Pomfrey to sit her next to Sirius on the cot.

"Aw' wight, boss?" Kingsley said thickly to Sirius, pinching his nose closed to stop the blood flow.

"Fine, you?"

Kingsley nodded. "Caught four of dem," he said. "They'we in de howding cells."

"Bellatrix?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Nobe, she Disabbarated before we could ged her."

Sirius said a few things that caused Molly to slap him in the back of his head. The kids sniggered. Even Madam Pomfrey's lips twitched as she looked at Kingsley's nose.

"We should write Hermione," Ron said quietly to Harry. "Let her know we're all right. She wanted to know all about your Occlumency lessons, anyway."

Harry nodded. "Come on, then," he said. He led the Weasleys up the stairs and out of the kitchen.

Sirius watched the door shut and turned his head quickly back to Kingsley. "Well?" he said expectantly.

"One dead, more than a dozen injured," Kingsley said, his nose repaired.

Sirius shook his head sadly and ran his hands through his hair. "Who died?" he whispered.

"Wizard. Not sure on his name. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hit by a Cruciatus followed by a Reductor," Kingsley said. Molly gasped; Tonks shook her head in disgust.

"Anything from Remus?" Sirius asked Molly.

To everyone's surprise, Dumbledore answered. "Nothing yet, Sirius," the headmaster said, coming down the stairs. "Are you four all right?" he added. Sirius, Kingsley, Arthur, and Tonks nodded. "And the boys?"

"Harry's leg was a bit cut up, but they're fine now," Sirius said.

Dumbledore nodded and accepted a cup of tea from Molly. Madam Pomfrey excused herself moments later and Flooed back to Hogwarts. Tonks put a pillow in Sirius' lap and lay across it. Sirius raised an eyebrow, but put his arm around her in comfort. "I've just received a letter from Severus," Dumbledore said.

"Yeah? Did he tell you the Death Eaters would be attacking Diagon Alley?" Sirius asked, irritation evident in his voice. "Because it's a bit late for that, you know."

"He had no time, Sirius," Dumbledore said. "The attack was not planned. No, he owled to say that he's been captured by the Ministry of Magic. He is presently being held in the DMLE holding cells."

Sirius resisted the urge to burst out laughing, but just barely.

"He's been captured?" Molly asked, glaring at Sirius for some reason.

"Hey! I had nothing to do with it! I was unconscious, in case you've forgotten," Sirius said heatedly.

"What do we do about it?" Arthur asked Dumbledore.

"At the moment, there is nothing we can do," Dumbledore replied. "If he is freed, the remaining Death Eaters will know about his disloyalty to their side. He will have to be treated like any other prisoner. He will need to be questioned by the right people," he said, looking pointedly at Sirius.

"Oh no," Sirius said loudly. "I'm not questioning him!"

"For one minute, Sirius, think about the good of the Order!" Molly said exasperatedly.

"Thank you, Remus," Sirius muttered sarcastically under his breath. Only Tonks seemed to have heard him—she chuckled quietly. "Fine, I'll do it, but Kingsley comes with me; you're not locking me alone in a room with him."

Sirius could have sworn he saw Dumbledore's lips twitch. "Thank you, Sirius," the old man said. "I must meet with Minister Bones. You know how to contact me, should you need anything."

* * *

Tonks and Kingsley stayed the night at Order Headquarters upon Molly's insistence—nobody argued with her, and Sirius didn't dare bring up the fact that it was, in fact, his home...

The Head Auror stayed up late into the night, drinking a bottle of firewhiskey with Kingsley and Arthur while the others went to bed.

"So you saw a flash of red hair and looked away," Kingsley asked, glancing at Arthur.

"It might have been hair, I don't know," Sirius said. "Like I said, too much was going happening to really get a good look. For all I know, it was a spell or something."

"Hmm," Arthur said thoughtfully. "Maybe it was Ron...?"

"No, he was in the joke shop with Harry," Sirius said positively. "Was Percy home?"

"Work," Arthur said, swallowing his drink. "They've been keeping him late recently."

Sirius nodded, exchanging a fleeting glance with Kingsley while Arthur looked away. Everyone was a suspect in this war, and Percy Weasley was no exception...

"Sirius?" yawned a voice from the staircase.

The three wizards looked up to see Harry coming down the stairs, his hair messier than usual. "Hey, kid." Sirius smiled. "Can't sleep?" Harry shook his head, sat beside Sirius and put his head into his folded arms.

"You okay, Harry?" Kingsley asked, his brow furrowing in concern. "You're looking a bit peaky."

Sirius pulled his godson up straight by his shoulders to get a good look at him. He was, indeed, looking quite pale. His normally bright green eyes now looked dull and sickly, and he was covered in a thick layer of cold sweat.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Sirius said, feeling Harry's forehead. "You're burning up." His concern deepened as another thought hit him. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"No," Harry yawned widely.

Sirius nodded. "You shouldn't be down here. Come on, back upstairs with you, or Molly'll have my head."

Arthur and Kingsley laughed as Sirius downed the rest of his firewhiskey and assisted Harry up the stairs. In Harry's bedroom, Sirius turned on the light and helped Harry get into bed. The older wizard tried to cover his godson with blankets, but the teenager kicked them away, claiming it was too hot.

Sirius raised an eyebrow—the room was freezing cold. Giving up on the blankets, Sirius looked over at Harry's bedside table. An empty goblet was sitting next to Harry's lamp. "Did you have water?"

"No, Mrs. Weasley left me a potion before I came up to bed," Harry murmured.

Sirius picked up the goblet and sniffed the remnants. He gagged at the smell—that was no potion that he recognized. "Get some sleep," Sirius said. Suddenly feeling a bit paranoid, he added, "I'm going to lock your door from the inside, okay?"

"Kay," Harry muttered, turning on his side.

Sirius took the goblet from the room, made sure nobody but he could get in, but that Harry could get out, if need be, and headed back downstairs.

As he returned to the kitchen, he noticed Arthur and Kingsley were kneeling before the fire. Dumbledore's head was floating eerily in the orange flames. "Albus," Sirius said surprised. It was—Sirius glanced at his watch—three-thirty in the morning. "What are you doing up so late?"

Sirius realized immediately that there was no twinkle in Dumbledore's blue eyes, no smile playing on his lips. Arthur and Kingsley turned back to Sirius, looking pale and shaken. "What?" Sirius asked quickly. "What's happened?"

"Remus and Emmeline did not meet with Hagrid and Madame Maxime," the Headmaster said quietly. "Hagrid has contacted me with information regarding a broken wand. He believes it to be Remus'. Emmeline's travel bag was also found scattered in the trees."

* * *

In the upstairs attic of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, a lone house-elf was grinning maniacally. Part one of the plan had been completed. Now that the werewolf was out of the picture, his blood traitor master would be too grief-stricken to worry about his nosy half-breed brat. Oh, how pleased his mistress would be...

* * *

In a dark holding cell in the Ministry of Magic, Severus Snape paced back and forth. The meddling Aurors, no doubt on Black's orders, had bound him during the battle without batting an eye—he was still nursing a sprained wrist from where he'd fallen. His "master" would not be pleased that he had momentarily lost his spy...

* * *

Stuck inside his own feverish mind, Harry Potter dreamed of white and golden lights, maniacal laughter, and his parents' beaming faces. He was becoming too weak to fight the fever as it took him deeper into his dreams...

* * *

In an unknown location, Peter Pettigrew stared unblinkingly at a cement wall opposite him. He began to rock back and forth on his cot, humming tunelessly...

* * *

Across the corridor, Lord Voldemort cackled madly. His plan was coming along perfectly. With Harry Potter out of the way, there was nothing remaining to stop him...

* * *

That night, as the majority of the wizarding world slept peacefully, they had no idea that the war of their world had grown far worse in the span of only a few hours.

END


End file.
